36-67

EP.67 Otherworldly Cult – 2 

I raise my arms and check my clothes. 

A pure white garment that looks noble. 

It’s similar to the kind of outfit you’d see worn by cult leaders on the internet. 

“This should be enough.” 

Getting people to develop faith is harder than you’d think. 

No matter how desperate they are, it’s rare for people to turn to religion. 

But if someone gives them a little push, the story changes. 

The first thing I need to do in this battle is guide people onto the path of becoming priests. 

To turn the unfavorable tide of war, this is the only way. 

No matter how many soldiers you conscript now, the problem is they’re untrained. 

Untrained troops will just end up increasing the number of undead. 

But it’s different with priests. 

A priest’s combat power is directly tied to faith. 

The deeper the faith, the stronger they become. 

That means, depending on their mindset, their fighting power can skyrocket. 

Sometimes, all it takes is a small trigger for a person’s heart to develop a tremendously strong will. 

The worse their situation, the more pronounced this tendency becomes. 

When things are bad, people will grasp at any straw. 

Beastkin may look different from humans, but inside, they’re not much different. 

Today, my job is to spread faith like a cult leader. 

The goddess Rene is an official religion, but since I don’t actually believe or know the doctrine well, I’m not much different from a cult leader. 

“People are waiting… but is this really okay?” 

Munch looks at me with a worried expression. 

He’s a little afraid this might be blaspheming the gods. 

But in the end, he accepted it and helped me. 

“Leave it to me.” 

I’ve already finished all the preparations I could think of. 

The rest I’ll handle with improvisation. 

Since coming to this world, I haven’t just gotten better at swordsmanship. 

I walk onto the platform in the center of the plaza, moving with as much dignity and grandeur as possible. 

The moment I step up, I feel countless eyes on me, almost burning my face. 

This is more pressure than I expected. 

I try to relax as much as possible. 

After all, I’m not here to deliver some grand philosophy. 

I’m just here to pull off a con with words I don’t even believe. 

For a con artist, logic isn’t important. 

It’s all about the ability to move people’s hearts. 

“Greetings, everyone. I am Yujin, known as the hero.” 

Thanks to the magic I prepared in advance, my voice rings out clearly so everyone in the plaza can hear. 

The people in my sight are a mixed bunch. 

Some are curious, some look puzzled, some just stare with empty eyes. 

The only thing they all have in common is that they’re all worn down by harsh reality. 

Alright… time to really start the con. 

“I cannot stand idly by in this situation.” 

I speak in a calm, yet heavy voice, slowly looking around. 

Anger-it’s an emotion most people feel easily in a crappy situation like this. 

When I voice the feelings in their hearts, everyone starts focusing on me. 

“It is against the will of the gods for corpses that should be dead to rise and attack you.” 

“That’s right!” 

“Well said!” 

The shills I planted beforehand respond from all over. 

Their enthusiastic responses get the people around them murmuring, and the atmosphere starts to heat up. 

Shills aren’t just for con artists-even dictators have used them to great effect. 

Just as proof, the gloomy mood in the plaza is slowly turning to anger. 

“Last night, the moon goddess Rene, who governs death, appeared in my dream as a hero and said this to me.” 

A blatant lie with not a shred of truth. 

Normally, people would dismiss this as nonsense, but the crowd, slowly coming around, holds their breath to hear what I’ll say next. 

The dazzling title of “hero.” 

A miserable reality. 

The psychology of crowds manipulated by shills. 

With all these factors at play, I could see strong curiosity in their eyes. 

It’s not for nothing that even smart intellectuals sometimes fall for cults. 

“She told me to help the people of Carrion suffering from the undead, to save you-her children-from the injustice that goes against the order of the world.” 

Before I knew it, the crowd’s gaze was changing. 

Their eyes were now full of emotion, and hope was starting to blossom. 

Some were even moved to tears. 

“As expected of Lady Rene…” 

“Lady Rene will save us.” 

“Please, watch over us.” 

From what I know, most of Carrion’s population was non-religious, but I guess people always turn to gods in times of crisis. 

“I will help you according to Lady Rene’s will. But the current battle is so dire, I cannot promise victory.” 

At my honest words, Munch’s expression twisted. 

He must have been worried the crowd would panic. 

But sometimes, facing reality is more effective. 

The darker the reality, the more desperate people become. 

“But! If you help, Lady Rene will never abandon you! If you become priests who serve her and take the lead in defeating the enemy, no foe will be able to beat us!” 

I deliver my speech with all the passion I can muster to move their hearts. 

I didn’t need the shills anymore. 

The eyes of the people gathered here were burning with fervor. 

“That’s right!” 

“Let’s go to the temple and show the enemy our strength!” 

“Lady Rene is watching over us!” 

“Glory to Lady Rene!” 

The goddess’s name echoed across the plaza. 

In an instant, a huge number of new believers were born. 

“Everyone, head to the temple now! Lady Rene needs you! Go and be saved!” 

I put my whole soul into acting and shouted at the top of my lungs. 

As I gestured toward the temple, the people in the plaza moved as one, all heading for the temple. 

“Let’s defeat the undead who defy Lady Rene!” 

“Let’s all go to the temple!” 

“Let’s show the enemy our faith!” 

I step down from the platform, watching the crowd pour out like a receding tide. 

The plan was more successful than I expected. 

“I don’t really believe in gods, but I don’t think I’ll get struck by lightning for this.” 

Even if my method was no different from a cult leader’s, it was something these people needed. 

It’s not like I started my own religion for personal gain, so Lady Rene will forgive me. Probably. 

If you think about it, I did the legwork for the priests, so they should be grateful. 

“With this, the coming battles should be much easier.” 

Even low-level holy magic is effective against the undead. 

Just sprinkling holy water works better than acid on a normal person. 

And priests with deep faith are harder for the undead to resurrect, making this the best strategy-except for the fact that it’s not exactly righteous. 

“This is more than I expected.” 

Munch’s face was full of awe. 

For people who don’t know the concept of cults, this kind of evangelism must seem extraordinary. 

“It’s thanks to you trusting and helping me. Otherwise, I’d probably be dodging rocks right now.” 

“No matter how well you prepare, actually carrying it out is another matter. If I’d been there, I might have seriously considered joining the faith myself.” 

Was it really that effective? 

Crowd psychology really is scary. 

I remember buying cheap products at high prices once. 

“I’ll leave the rest to you, Commander. You’re much more of an expert in strategy and tactics than I am.” 

“Leave it to me. Thanks to you, not only has morale soared, but we have more forces to use. I’ll take responsibility and lead us to victory!” 

“Then I’ll rest for now. Call me when the fighting starts.” 

Munch said he’d just thought of a good strategy and left. 

Now I’ve done everything I can for the moment. 

All that’s left is to take the lead in battle when the time comes. 

If that lich gets hit with a sudden flood of holy water, he’ll be in for a shock. 

I’ll just wait patiently until the enemy attacks. 

As soon as I took off the white clothes, Karin came over and handed me my usual outfit. 

“Good work. As expected of you, Master.” 

“This was nothing. Still, it’s tiring doing something for the first time.” 

“Then… would you like to rest in your room for a bit?” 

Karin clung to me with a gentle smile. 

Her sweet scent, full of maternal warmth. 

The soft, pleasant feel of her chest pressed against me stirred my desire. 

“I definitely need a break. A very intimate break.” 

The others seemed a bit busy, but I can just fight hard later. 

You have to rest properly to fight well. 

At my positive answer, Karin whispered in my ear with a gentle yet seductive face. 

“I’ll make sure you feel really good so you can give it your all, Master.” 

“I’m already looking forward to it.” 

Enjoying her smooth skin, I walked to the room I’d been given. 

Maybe it was a good thing they rented out the whole inn for me in Carrion. 

“Please look forward to it.” 

Her sweet voice tickled my ear, and my footsteps quickened.