The Overpowered Cult Leader at the Academy Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Imperial Knight Order (1)

“Wow~ the feel of it was killer.”

The flash that had filled my vision disappeared in an instant. The guardian, its midsection burned away, lay collapsed without even a twitch.

The Vice-Commander gaped, stunned by the overwhelming firepower shown by soone who was supposedly just a student. Bereninche was also dumbfounded by the sudden finishing move.

“What are you doing.”

“Huh?”

“Is that just an ordinary tree? It’s a tree overflowing with vitality. And it even got struck by lightning.”

I called out to Bereninche, who was standing there like an idiot. My sharp-witted younger sister grasped my intention right away. When I dashed forward first, she followed at a fierce speed.

“The sturdiest one! The black tree!”

“I know!”

Bereninche shouted and shot ahead of . Before the Imperial Knight Order arrived, we had to quickly gather materials and bolt. I started running with all my strength.

▶You have completed the tutorial and will be given rewards.

I heard the system ssage, but I had no leeway to check it. Why had I gone through all this hell? For the scraps, of course.

Bereninche headed toward the place that had been pierced by the spike. Since we needed a tree struck by lightning, that was the obvious destination. Unlike her, I ran toward the tail end.

The core that would be at the head belonged to the knight order that had done the hardest work. There was no need to invite trouble for no reason.

“Ugh, it’s fucking long.”

I ran through the hollowed-out body. It grew darker the farther I went, but I solved that by summoning the Holy Scripture of the Anaye Faith. When I arrived at the end, guided by the faint light, I saw sothing foreign.

The only thing emitting a blue glow amid the brown-sared surroundings. I saw the arm of so life-form tangled in the tree trunk.

“It’s way more grotesque than I thought.”

I carefully collected the hand-shaped object made of gemstones. It was one of the rewards you could obtain by defeating the guardian that appeared as the boss of Episode 6.

After obtaining the remnant of an ancient creature, I hurried my steps. By now, reinforcents from the academy side had probably arrived. It couldn’t be helped if rumors spread, but I didn’t want to run into them right now.

After the third gatekeeper was defeated and weakened to the maximum, the guardian fired its breath. I was nervous, but the knight order succeeded in defending against it splendidly.

Watching that happen, I had been on edge the entire ti. Even knowing they wouldn’t fail, I still worried.

“I’m hungry.”

I had defeated, in the tutorial, a boss that could only be killed by reaching Episode 6. Right now, rest was desperately needed.

***

After shalessly eating a al, the first thing I did was check the rewards. The reward was basic equipnt suited to my class.

“I want to be a warrior.”

The skill I received from Anaye suited a lee class. But my status was miserable, so I would hit my limits before long.

There was also the option of comfortably becoming a priest and moving forward as a supporter. To do that, I would have needed companions, but I had no confidence in gathering allies with Davide’s reputation.

“If I don’t beco a cleric, I’ll probably get beaten.”

The answer was already decided. Surprisingly, the Holy Scripture was alive. If it didn’t like my choice, it would be summoned above my head. It even had the astonishing function of smashing my head straight down.

I felt certain that Anaye was watching . It seed to have quite high expectations, so going in a different direction would have been ridiculous. When I chose the cleric, priestly robes appeared.

[Basic Priest Robes of the Anaye Order]

Faith 1

There was no explanation whatsoever. I admired Anaye’s coolness and put on the priest robes. They looked similar to a coat, and with skirt-like double sleeves, they allowed good mobility. The emblem of Anaye engraved on the back also suited in its own way.

I didn’t know why priest robes had a hood attached, but it felt stifling, so I didn’t wear it. I stood in front of the dormitory mirror.

I thought I might look sowhat like a religious person, but because of my delinquent-looking eyes, I ended up looking even more awkward. I let out a small sigh and left the dormitory.

“Look at how sharp that is.”

Wearing priest robes while walking around drew far more stares than usual. I was tired of people staring at a stupid-looking face.

The place I headed to in holy attire was the library.

“The law books are this thick too……”

The book containing the academy regulations was thick. Its imposing presence was enough to be used as a weapon, making frown.

The complaints that slipped out like muttering were cut short by the gaze of a librarian I ran into. After briefly watching my surroundings, I opened the book. Preparing for the future was important, but the problems right in front of were more urgent.

What I was looking for was the rights available to a suspended student. I had no intention of being kicked out of the dormitory I had been going in and out of.

“The letters are tiny as rat shit too.”

I glared at the book with my eyes wide open. I had no interest in academics. What mattered right now was food, clothing, and shelter. Fortunately, suspended students were not barred from dormitories or als. I had already paid for them, after all.

In the ga, by the ti Episode 1 ended, Davide’s suspension was effectively lifted. Since Davide handled the boss of Episode 1, they acknowledged the rit. I needed enough leeway to endure until then.

Having found the information I needed, I planned to rest. I leaned back on a sofa set up in the library. I could feel the librarian’s icy gaze, but unless it was soone on Bereninche’s level, I didn’t even react anymore.

“I don’t know if I’m right.”

After lying around on the sofa for 30 minutes, I saw a small-statured girl entering the library. Dull silver hair and a petite height that might barely reach 150 centiters.

I wasn’t sure. I stood up from my seat. The librarian’s gaze was becoming overt. I grumbled about how annoyingly judgntal it was.

Winter Seraphist, commonly known as Winter. She was an important NPC related to religion. In the ga, all religion-related skills could be learned through Winter.

She was the talent I needed most now that I had beco a cleric. On top of that, she was even competent.

“Winter Seraphist.”

“Huh? Y-yes?”

Winter slowly looked over, then suddenly stepped backward. For a mont, I was left speechless. Her trembling body, her violently shaking pupils. Her posture was tightly shrunk, and her voice was steeped in anxiety.

It was the attitude of a little girl who had run into a criminal. She was shaking so badly that I almost felt sorry for even talking to her. I decided to steel my face.

“I have sothing to talk about. Could you spare a little ti?”

In an instant, stares gathered and pricked at my skin. It almost felt like they had physical force. I could understand it to so extent.

The academy was a kind of university facility that only allowed admission from the age of twenty. The small girl in front of looked so frail that it made wonder if she had lied about her age to get in.

I spoke as gently and non-threateningly as possible. Despite my efforts, the situation went in an unexpected direction.

“Mm…… h-h. Hwaaaang.”

I panicked when Winter suddenly started crying. She clenched her lips tightly as tears like chicken droppings stread down relentlessly. Cold sweat also began dripping down my forehead.

Did I slap her or sothing? But all I did was talk to her. Suspicious looks started to appear.

―Isn’t that Davide Duhein?

―Yeah. What did he say to make her cry?

―Did he slap her or sothing?

―No, he just talked to her.

―Guess he beat her with words.

The library was instantly filled with noise. Winter, who had turned into a complete bastard in no ti, was still sobbing.

“Hey, why are you crying like that.”

“Hiiik.”

“Calm down. There, there.”

I raised both palms and tried to soothe Winter. Even a chick wouldn’t be this fragile. Winter bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears. Of course, droplets were still falling freely from her eyes.

“I’m a notorious bastard, but I have no intention of harming you. You see these priest robes?”

Nod.

“There are lots of people here, right? You see the librarian over there? That person is an incredible powerhouse. They’ll definitely protect you.”

Nod.

“I just ca because there’s sothing I want to ask. You know what I’m saying, right?”

Nod.

“That’s right. Good girl. Shall we stop crying now?”

I had no idea what was going on. Only then did Winter seem to calm her startled heart. I knew she was a crybaby character in the ga, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent. After confirming she had settled down, I looked toward the librarian.

“Librarian. By any chance, in this place—”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. We were kicked out on the spot.

“I…… why was I.”

The library was a space for concentration. Winter, who had been dragged out along with , spoke with a wronged expression.

“I’m sorry. Still, there’s sothing I really want your help with. I’m asking you.”

“Ah, yes.”

I wondered if I had ever bullied her before. If that were true, I would really be an irredeemable bastard. Praying that it wasn’t the case, I offered an apology, which Winter accepted hesitantly.

I walked ahead first, guiding Winter along. Since we were already out, I planned to talk in a quiet place.

“Would you like sothing to drink?”

“Huh? Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Winter looked tense and awkward. They said everyone had a story, but Winter’s fate was especially twisted.

“There’s sothing I want to ask about religion.”

“Religion? Ah. Yes, of course.”

The garden bench where I had first opened my eyes. Sitting there, I brought up the topic. Winter’s expression changed. I could feel a sense of ‘who do you think you are?’ coming from her.

Then she seed to realize that what I was wearing wasn’t ordinary clothing.

“Do you know what a stigmata is?”

“Of course I do. It’s a kind of gift that the Seven Main Gods and countless other gods bestow upon their followers. It descends in the form of a tattoo, and depending on its size, you can tell how much the god cherishes that follower. The pattern usually imitates the form of the god, so it’s easy to recognize. Stigmata are naturally very difficult to obtain, and they are one of the greatest achievents that can only be reached through deep faith in the religion and communion with the god.”

Once her area of interest ca up, she beca talkative. Her eyes were still red, but they quickly beca lively.

At this point, I thought the conversation would go smoothly. Only then did I relax and adjust my posture. Sitting side by side on the bench, I faced her.

At the sudden change in positioning, Winter flinched hard. I leaned my upper body slightly forward and loosened the front of my priest robes. Winter’s eyes widened when she spotted the tattoo clearly visible beneath my collarbone.

“My goodness.”

It was hard to believe such force ca from such a frail girl. Did Winter realize that what she was touching now was the chest of an unrelated man?

The fully exposed tattoo. The ‘Trace of Anaye’ densely covered the area from beneath my collarbone to above my navel.

“My heavens, this is a stigmata. The divinity is faint, but the form of the tattoo is distinct. Divinity isn’t sothing that can be contained carelessly. This is definitely a stigmata. Judging by the horns on both sides, it’s an animal form, so it seems to be a spirit-type god! From the appearance, it’s a deer or a reindeer. Gods like that usually have wood, earth, or water attributes. My goodness! To actually see a stigmata in person! This isn’t a dream, is it?”

Winter, who had suddenly gone into overdrive, was fierce. I couldn’t keep up with the torrent of words pouring out of her. All I could tell was that she was excited.

“Is it sothing to get that excited about?”

“Of course it is! Stigmata don’t appear easily! Right now, there are only thirteen people in the religious world who possess stigmata! A proxy of the god! Another body of the god! There’s endless material to study, but no samples! Even when soone with a stigmata appears, do you think they’re easy people to approach? They’re all renowned figures within their respective religions! Do you think it’s easy to witness a stigmata this closely?”

It was the reaction of a girl fan eting her favorite idol in person. Without thinking, I nodded. She hadn’t been like this in the ga.

“I’ve almost never seen this pattern before. Would it be alright if I made a note of the pattern? Ah! Would that be rude? Then how did you co to obtain the stigmata? Ah! This might be rude too— kuhk!”

“Hey. Calm down. Take a deep breath.”

It was unsettling to see her nearly suffocate after talking too fast. I carefully soothed her. There was no way we could have a conversation like this. Only after several minutes did Winter finally calm down.

“Are you calm now?”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

Only then, perhaps realizing her own disgrace, Winter’s face flushed red.

“If you have a stigmata, you could form an order.”

“Technically, anyone can register an order to begin with. You just have to prove the existence of the god. A stigmata is more than sufficient proof.”

“Good. Then let’s make a deal.”

“Yes?”

I heard a completely dazed response. What was it that Winter wanted most? I knew very well. When I opened my left hand, holy light gathered, and a familiar book appeared.

“It must look damn delicious.”

“Eeeek!”

Winter was a hardcore religious fanatic.