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

"Lust, that horrible man!"

Psyche clenched her fists with a sense of justice and trembled.
It must be because of the incident yesterday.
"To think he violated Lady Milione despite such tight security! It's a terrible thing!"
The story of Milione Archibald being violated by Lust had swept through the Agarphe territory in just one night.
From my perspective, having heard the story, it was absurd.
"What in the world happened…?"
"Hyde, while you briefly lost your memory, Lust infiltrated the room, violated Lady Milione, and ran away…! How could this happen…!"
How could it really happen?
It's amazing.
But there was a reason why such rumors were spreading.
Milione Archibald.
It was because she herself claimed, "Lust violated me…!" Milione Archibald had supposedly lost most of her memory of that time due to the shock.
It was a truly unbelievable story.
"Hyde, are you hurt? Are you alright?"
Psyche kept worrying about me.
She must be thinking that Lust incapacitated me with some terrifying trick while I was protecting Lady Milione.
Fortunately, I was fine.
I wasn't hurt at all.
Of course, my heart and faith were on the verge of being completely shattered.
Who was responsible for doing this to me?
It was none other than Milione Archibald!
That wicked woman!
"What is Lady Archibald doing now? Is she alright?"
"I don't know if it's because of the shock, but she can barely speak and seems to have lost a lot of her memory. She's resting in the VIP room right now. The shock must be immense."
Saying that, Psyche trembled and stomped her foot.
Crack-
The mansion's floor shattered just from her stomping.
Terrifying power.
As I trembled at her power, Psyche shouted in a furious voice,
"How dare he defile a woman's purity…! And to violate Lady Archibald, who was under Agarphe's protection…! This is absolutely unacceptable…!"
"He's truly a bad guy."
"Now, Lady Archibald's chances of a decent marriage are as good as gone…! She will be pointed at as a defiled woman…! How pitiful…!"
A woman who was forcibly defiled and lost her purity.
Milione Archibald was a victim, but in this ignorant and barbaric world, she had lost a great deal of 'value'.
Of course, objectively speaking, she wasn't a victim.
Because, damn it, Lust never raped Milione!
There's no real victim other than me!
Everyone else is fine, except for my hair follicles that are starting to fall out!
But I couldn't say that.
I spoke with a generous heart,
"It's truly unfortunate."
For me.
It's unfortunate for me.
But Psyche seemed deeply moved by my words and grabbed my hand.
"Hyde, to pity Lady Milione, who was so rude to you. Your heart is truly vast. I wish all men in the world were as kind and faithful as you…!"
Psyche's eyes were sparkling.
It looked like tears would flow down her cheeks if I touched them, but
I felt so guilty that I couldn't bear to look her in the eyes.
Lately, I've been
lying to Psyche so much, haven't I?
I had sworn not to lie to her.
Whether she knew my anguish or not, Psyche became indignant again.
"I think it's also wrong for the Archibald family to blame you, Hyde, for this incident. Hyde, you did your best to protect Lady Milione and Agarphe."
That's right.
No one could have done better than me.
It was heartbreaking that no one acknowledged it.
But the Lord knows!
All my hard work and pain…!
Milione Archibald was sprawled on the sofa.
She didn't seem to care that her thighs were visible under her slightly rolled-up silk blouse.
Milione lifted her foot and nudged my knee with her sole.
"Hey, Hyde, say sex."
"Lady Milione, as a true believer, you shouldn't use such unholy words."
"Ha, you're so boring. It was fun when I was with Lust. It's such a shame I couldn't see his face this time. That man must be a 'beast', not a human."
Saying that, Milione opened the tattered book `"The Way of the Beast"`.
Why is she so annoying?
I wanted to bite her thigh until it bled.
But just as there's a saying that hating someone in your heart is a sin, I decided to control my emotions. I couldn't be swayed by this woman.
I decided to scold Milione in a solemn voice.
"Even so, how can you say that you were raped? Are you sure about that?"
"What, are you saying I'm lying? I was really raped by Lust! I can't even get married into a decent family with this defiled body."
"...."
"Instead of becoming a countess or a marchioness…I'll probably end up as a concubine of some shady nobleman or priest. That's the way it is for non-virgins."
She was right.
What decent man would want to marry this crazy woman?
She might turn her head around at night and try to kill me with a knife.
No matter how beautiful her face is, it's not worth it.
That's when it happened.
"Hyde, why don't you take me as your second wife?"
"Pfft-"
I spat out the tea I was drinking.
Milione Archibald, who was drenched because of it, got angry.
"Hey!"
"No, it's just that I heard something so absurd. Second wife? What are you talking about? Are you saying you want to marry me?"
"I'm already a defiled woman anyway. If I stay like this, I'll either be stuck in a convent or become a plaything for some wicked nobleman. Hyde, you're a monk. Aren't you supposed to help those in need?"
I should help those in need.
But in my opinion, the person in the most need right now was me!
This crazy woman wants to be my second wife?
Are you crazy? Should I bring a Tyrannosaurus Rex into my house?
"You see, I love my wife Psyche so much. Taking a second wife would be a betrayal of my heart."
"Don't lie. Do you know how many priests like you, who pretend to be pure, I've seen having affairs behind the scenes? You're probably just like them."
"I don't think so."
"So you're saying you don't like me? I don't like cowards like you either. I don't want to marry you either. But I'm doing you a favor."
"A favor?"
"Because you failed to protect me this time, the Agarphe family will have to pay a huge penalty to Archibald, right? Do you know how much it is?"
"How much?"
"A thousand gold coins. That's the amount the Ormandy Count family promised as a dowry when they sent a letter proposing marriage to me. In other words, I lost at least a thousand gold coins because of you."
A thousand gold coins.
That's enough money to build several mansions and fill them with servants.
You could even buy a barony with that much money.
You're going to demand that much from the Agarphe family as compensation?
It might sound absurd, but the damage the Archibald family suffered was indeed immense.
Their second son was brutally murdered, and
their youngest daughter was raped.
Although Lust was known to be the culprit, the Agarphe family also bore some responsibility for their negligence in security.
They might not demand a thousand gold coins, but they might ask for around 200.
200 gold coins.
There was no way the Agarphe family, with their current financial situation, could come up with that much money to fill a chest.
But maybe I should ask?
If I can send Milione away with 200 gold coins, it's definitely a win!
"Son-in-law, this is the current financial state of the Agarphe family. The Archibald family is demanding 300 gold coins as compensation for the damages. These thieving bastards…!"
Count Doban.
He frowned and cursed as he looked at the ledger spread out in his office.
"We're already in debt to the Iron Blood Company in the capital for 500 gold coins every year! And now they're asking us to come up with 300 more gold coins, damn it…!"
Indeed, as I looked at the ledger, the Agarphe family's financial situation was dire.
A prestigious count family drowning in debt?
The problem was that there was no 'fixed source of income' to speak of.
There were no special products.
And most of the money earned from the territory's produce was being spent on Dihon's medical expenses.
This was because Selim, that ignorant bastard, was taking a whopping 20 gold coins a month under the pretext of Dihon's treatment.
That's 200 gold coins a year.
Selim, that bastard.
He's definitely embezzling money.
The promised week was almost over.
Should I get rid of Selim? As I was thinking that, Doban groaned.
"Hyde, the Archbishop said in his letter that if you take Lady Archibald as your wife, he will waive the entire compensation. It's a humiliating offer for us, but…"
It would indeed be humiliating.
The Count's son-in-law.
The moment he takes a second wife, the Agarphe Count family would become a laughingstock.
Psyche, who was looking at the ledger, exclaimed,
"Although the incident that Lady Milione experienced is very unfortunate and pitiful, taking her as Hyde's second wife is a different matter! Milione's personality is…bad…!"
It was the first time I saw Psyche badmouthing someone.
But even that was putting it mildly.
Milione is a psycho!
She might try to kill me, her husband, on our wedding night!
But my answer was already decided.
"Well, I'll take Lady Milione as my second wife. But please remember this one thing. Father-in-law, and Psyche, I am a member of the Agarphe family."
"Hyde, you…!"
Psyche looked at me with teary eyes and grabbed my hand.
What did those sparkling eyes mean?
"Hyde, I didn't know your heart was so vast. To take a woman you don't even like, and such a rude woman at that, as your second wife for the sake of our family…"
Grip-
Psyche's grip on my hand tightened.
"It must be because I'm lacking. If only I could have protected you all and noticed Lust's intrusion and stopped him…! If only I had more power…!"
Psyche's self-blame was not entirely unreasonable.
If Psyche had become strong enough to drive Wrath away, I wouldn't have had to put on this ridiculous act.
But what could I do about what had already happened?
"Psyche, I appreciate your feelings."
I had already made up my mind.
Milione.
She was a crazy bitch, but there were many advantages to taking her as my second wife.
Since I couldn't escape her, it was better to keep her close.
That way, I could keep an eye on her and react immediately if she caused any trouble.
And now was the time when I needed Wrath's power.
"Father-in-law, Psyche, I think "Walpurgis" will start making their move soon."
Walpurgis.
Doban's expression turned serious at the mention of that name.
"Those witches are going to move? At a time like this? They're all terrifying heretics with gold coin bounties on their heads! It seems their organization has been active for over 200 years!"
That's right.
Walpurgis was a gathering of witches who were far more reckless than the "Crescent Moon Sisterhood", which would seem like cute little sisters in comparison.
There are 'real witches' in that group.
"It seems the giant woman who killed Sir Baldwin, the One-Eyed Knight, was from Walpurgis. Since she was killed by the new 'Deadly Sin', Walpurgis will try to investigate the truth."
The members of Walpurgis had strong pride. They were proud of their long history of activity in various regions, including Durgien.
But this incident must have wounded their pride.
"Also, the newly emerged 'Lust' will surely provoke them greatly. The Agarphe territory could suffer great damage from their wrath."
"So you're saying there's conflict even among heretics. If they fight amongst themselves and self-destruct, it would be a great benefit for us."
Count Doban sighed.
He covered his face with his hands and spoke cautiously, as if confessing a shameful truth.
"Son-in-law, I'm ashamed to say this, but with Loras and Tristan gone, the defense of our Agarphe Count family is in a dire state. If those witches start rampaging in this situation…"
"Yes, that's why I said I would take Lady Archibald as my second wife. As soon as I cure Sir Dihon's illness, I will go to Florence."
"You're going to Florence?"
Psyche was surprised.
To her questioning look, I answered seriously,
"I'm going to meet Archbishop Archibald and officially request the dispatch of the Holy Knights. We might even get one of the Six Knights to come to Agarphe."
If the witches of Walpurgis were sinful monsters beyond human comprehension, the "Six Knights" of the Holy Knights were the bulwark and shield of humanity.
The six knights who were chosen as opponents of the Deadly Sins from the time Pope Gregory designated the Six Deadly Sins.
Or their disciples and successors.
Superhumans who inherited the names, weapons, and skills from the great knights.
If I could bring them to Agarphe, the defense budget of Agarphe would be secured…!
And we would be able to effectively drive out the heretics, and maybe even teach that Wrath a lesson and chase her away.
As expected, I was perfect.
"Then, let's cure Sir Dihon's illness right away, since the medicine must be ready."
The medicine made from digitalis.
I was filled with anticipation, thinking it must be ready.
When we arrived in front of Dihon's room, Selim blocked our way.
"Count, please stop him! Digitalis is a herb called 'Witch's Weed'! Even a small amount of its leaves can cause fatal poisoning! This is all Hyde's conspiracy!"
"Hyde, is that true?"
Doban asked me in shock.
Is digitalis a poisonous plant?
That was true.
When I didn't answer, Selim, thinking he had gained the upper hand, continued to rant,
"It's called Witch's Weed because the witches of Walpurgis use it to kill people! To make medicine with such a herb is clearly an attempt at poisoning! I swear on my honor and the honor of my master, Sir Parmas, one of the Six Knights! So please stop Hyde!"