How the Cult Saves the World

Chapter 121

After a tearful conversation with my grandmother, the deep night slowly gave way to dawn.

"Have this, Levi."

Maybe it was because I had missed my bedtime, but I naturally ended up drinking the tea my grandmother had made for me.

"Drink this and go to sleep. You can wake up late."

"Yes, Grandma."

Anyway, the only thing left to do was return to Holden Estate, so sleeping in was fine.

I slowly sipped my tea while watching my grandmother closely. Since receiving holy power from Kyros, her complexion had noticeably improved, and her expression seemed brighter than before.

'This should be enough.'

Of course, Mana Burn wasn't fully healed yet, so I wanted to wait a little longer. But this was a sub-quest in the game. For me, there was still a lot to do to complete the main quest.

'It would have been better if my grandmother's house was a little closer.'

"Grandma, do you have any plans to return to Holden Estate?"

Suddenly, memories of Revelof's childhood resurfaced. After his mother became a countess, his grandmother had stayed at Holden Estate for a short time.

If she lived nearby like that, it would be easier for me to visit her, and if anything happened, things could be handled quickly.

With that in mind, I asked my grandmother. She looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"Levi, what is the ultimate goal of the Kyros Church? It's still a small religion, so it must have a goal."

My grandmother's serious expression made me serious again.

"First and foremost, our biggest goal is to spread Kyros's will throughout the continent. We will then drive out religions that cause suffering to people, and in their place, the Kyros Church will stand tall."

That was the main quest goal I had to complete. It had been almost a year since I came to this world, and the percentage gauge was still at 0%.

'There are two years left.'

In that time, I would be able to accomplish enough. Many great events would occur in this world, providing opportunities to gather believers.

"Kyros is kind and generous to all living beings. He does not discriminate and does not cause suffering. That is the kind of God I serve."

"...Yes. I see."

At my words, my grandmother nodded slightly. Then, with determined eyes, she spoke.

"I'll clean up the mansion soon and go back to Holden Estate. If you know of any good houses around there, can you let me know?"

"Huh? Really?"

Was my answer satisfactory for her? My grandmother happily agreed.

"Yes. You said the Temple of the Kyros Church is in Rovel, near the Holden Estate, right? Outside of Rovel, it's too far away and I think it would be better for me to live closer to my family."

"I didn't expect you to decide so quickly! Thank you, Grandma!"

"You shouldn't be grateful, Levi. My dear. I just want to use the holy power I received from Kyros for his sake, since I've become a follower of Kyros."

I couldn't help but feel moved that my grandmother, who had rejected the proposal from the Diego Church, was now willing to become a force for the Kyros Church.

"Thank you so much, Grandma!"

"And if you want, Levi, this old lady can teach you swordsmanship anytime."

"I'd love that!"

"If you wish, I can even teach swordsmanship to the knights of the Church too."

This was exactly why Diego wanted my grandmother to be the captain of their Holy Knights Order: her exceptional swordsmanship.

She would use that power not only for me but also for our knights?

-Hoo, our forces will grow stronger!

I had already heard that Chester and the other knights were focusing on training these days. If Grandma taught them, our forces would be way stronger than before.

"Thank you so much, Grandma!"

"Don't mention it. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my grandchild."

I hugged my grandmother tightly. Things were going smoothly for me, but I had no idea what the future would hold.

***

That afternoon, I woke up late, had a quick meal, and prepared to leave.

"Levi, are you ready?"

"Yes, Brother."

It felt strange to be reunited with them after such a long time. They were like family to me.

"How have you all been?"

***

After reuniting with the kids, Zain, and Troy, we headed straight to the restaurant for a late dinner. We shared stories while eating the food Jacob had prepared in advance to celebrate my return.

"While you were visiting your grandmother's house, Master, we finished the maintenance of the Temple of Merilseus ourselves,"

Zain said proudly as I devoured the meat stew.

"Really? I told you to take your time there. It must have been hard. Thanks for all your hard work, guys."

"But we're going to open soon, so we finished the work in advance. It's fine even if we open tomorrow."

"Alright, Zain. I'll make sure you get plenty."

Normally, I would have ignored his antics, but today I was in a good mood. The reason?

"My grandmother will visit the temple soon. I don't know if you know, but my grandmother was once famous as a Sword Master representing the Empire."

"Oh, could it be that..."

Zain looked a bit surprised, but then he leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"Master, Troy is here too. Is it okay to talk about this here?"

"Well, I thought it would be okay since Troy is like family to us now."

Currently, out of the senior members who appeared in the Kyros Church through the selection process, only Zain knew that I was Revelof Holden. Now, my grandmother was also in that list.

In that situation, I thought I could no longer keep the truth from Troy.

"Anyway, my grandmother is Helena Holden, the Sword Master. She's already a member of the Kyros Church and will be coming to the temple soon. She'll be teaching us swordsmanship."

"Oh, swordsmanship? Sword Master?"

"Yeah, Chessy."

Of course, Chester's strength is quite formidable---he's an S-class knight. However, he's not as strong as Terdius at the moment.

'My grandmother, in her youth, was similar to Terdius in the latter half of the original story...'

If Chester were to master my grandmother's swordsmanship, he would quickly become strong enough to match the apostles of the Diego Church.

"I'll continue learning swordsmanship from my grandmother, and anyone who wants to can join as well."

As I spoke, Chester's eyes---and, for some reason, even Sasha's---sparkled with interest.

"Oh, and Troy, actually, I am... Revelof Holden, the second son of the Holden family. I'm sorry I haven't told you before. It's not that I don't trust you...it's just that it happened like this. I thought it would be better for everyone if I didn't reveal my identity."

I spoke as carefully as I could, trying not to offend Troy. Then Troy responded with his usual expression.

"Oh, Church Leader. It's okay. I knew it from the beginning."

His answer completely caught me off guard. Wait, he knew?

"... Huh? How?"

"Of course, it was obvious. You smell the same. I noticed when your family came to the temple. A person who smelled like you but didn't seem like you---that's how I figured it out."

Ah, so he was able to detect it easily with the black panther's sense of smell.

"But why didn't you say anything, you punk?"

Zain glared at Troy and asked.

Troy swallowed the meat in front of him in one bite and responded nonchalantly.

"Well, there was no need for that. You're my benefactor, and I believe in Lord Kyros. I have no intention of doing anything that would harm the leader or Kyros Church. That's why I didn't mention anything about things you wanted to keep secret."

At Troy's words, I, the children, and Kyros all felt moved.

-Oh, such a lovely child.

"Thank you, Troy."

I spoke sincerely to him. Then Troy smiled innocently.

From Grandma to Troy, I'm surrounded by such great people.

With them, there's no adversity that I can't overcome.

Just as I thought that, a desperate cry rang out from outside the temple.

"Ch-Church Leader! Please, help!"

A man's desperate cries could be heard from outside the Temple.