How the Cult Saves the World

Terdius's steps felt heavy as he entered the quiet city.

'Ivan...'

The image of his younger brother, etched deeply into his mind, continued to torment him. It hurt even more whenever he visited this place.

'Damn it.'

Terdius walked down the streets of Nezen, biting his lip lightly.

On his way back from his mission, he couldn't just bypass Nezen. The familiar streets called to him, and he found himself walking along them.

In his mind, he could still vividly see Ivan running through these streets.

Back then, he had no doubt that their future, though perhaps modest, would be filled with happiness.

But everything changed in an instant. It all began the day Ivan fell ill with a mysterious disease.

'Please... Save my brother.'

'I'm sorry, but there's no hope. You should prepare yourself mentally...'

Terdius searched tirelessly for doctors who might save Ivan, but none could cure him.

The same went for mages and alchemists.

Amidst a life filled with despair, a voice like a glimmer of hope reached his ears.

'Terdius Austin.'

The voice was grim and eerie, almost like a snake's.

The mere sound of it sent shivers down his spine, its sinister nature making its identity unmistakable.

'The protagonist of this world.'

The voice's cryptic words soon gave way to an offer Terdius had been desperate to hear.

'Be my apostle. Then I will save your brother.'

The mention of his brother---whom no one else could heal---left Terdius entranced. Without hesitation, he accepted the offer.

Ivan only had a few months left. If there was any way to extend that time, even a little, Terdius would give anything up. He was determined to someday find a cure for Ivan's illness.

And so, he became Diego's apostle.

But from that moment, Terdius's mind grew clouded.

His once-bright personality faded, leaving only a consuming desire to save his brother and unwavering loyalty to Diego.

Yet, over time, the fog began to lift, little by little.

'Leviathan.'

It started after he met the leader of that small, enigmatic religion.

He didn't get how but being in his presence seemed to clear his mind. Also, srange, unfamiliar memories began to surface---memories he had never lived.

'Why...?'

Terdius wandered the streets of Nezen, lost in thought. Then, on a certain street, he felt something unusual.

"This...is..."

It was a warm aura, unmistakably belonging to Leviathan. But why would he feel Leviathan's presence in Nezen?

Terdius questioned this strange occurrence. Drawn to the energy as if possessed, he began to follow it.

***

As soon as I left the Archmage's room, I couldn't help but gasp in amazement.

"Wow..."

The first thing that caught my eye was the Tower's impossibly high ceiling.

"The Archmage's room is on the top floor of the Magic Tower, so let's go down one floor at a time and explore!"

I nodded absentmindedly at Crow's explanation, but my eyes were glued to the ceiling.

-Isn't the power of magic truly amazing?

'Yes, absolutely.'

The seemingly endless ceiling displayed a night sky filled with countless stars.

"Aha! This is your first time seeing it, Revelof. That sky isn't real---it's Jenna's masterpiece!"

"It's breathtaking."

"Isn't it? She designed it especially for mages who prefer night over day. As such, the inside of the Magic Tower is a bit darker than the human world, so always watch your step."

"Oh, I will. Thank you."

I nodded earnestly at Crow's advice. It flapped his wings and flew towards the wide staircase.

"Alright, this way!"

With excitement bubbling inside me, I eagerly followed it.

"There are various storage facilities on the floor directly below the Archmage's room."

"The Archmage's room is on the top floor of the Tower, right? But why would a warehouse be right below it...?"

It seemed inefficient, to say the least. Crow chuckled knowingly.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just watch."

It gestured with his wing toward the open space between the circular stairs.

Whoosh---

A mage riding a broom flew in through the gap, accompanied by a gust of wind.

"The mages here use teleportation magic, so the warehouse's location doesn't matter,"

Crow said, puffing out its chest with pride.

I couldn't help but smile at its enthusiasm.

'That makes sense. I'd forgotten that most mages in HSAW could use teleportation magic.'

As we descended the stairs, Crow enthusiastically introduced me to the various features of the Magic Tower.

There was a vast practice space for mages to train, a library brimming with what seemed like every book on the continent, lamps that floated gracefully throughout the tower, and mages riding broomsticks that zipped by occasionally.

'Is this what a magic school from a movie would look like if it were more advanced?'

The thought of a movie from my original world flitted through my mind. The similarities were uncanny.

"Now, on this floor, we have an alchemist's laboratory and a cultivation room. In our Magic Tower, we grow and harvest our own alchemical materials!"

"Oh, really?"

"Absolutely! The quality is much better when we cultivate our own materials instead of buying them from the market."

That made sense. The Magic Tower, while situated on the Continent, was far removed from the bustling empires and kingdoms where most people lived.

Since the mages preferred solitude, it seemed logical for them to grow their own supplies to avoid unnecessary interaction with the outside world.

"This is the cultivation room---one of the prides of our Tower!"

Under Crow's guidance, I stepped into the cultivation room. From the outside, it looked like an unassuming wooden door. My expectations weren't high.

But when the door opened, I was stunned.

-Wow, this space is massive!

'Exactly.'

The cultivation room was far larger than I'd imagined. It was vast, easily the size of several sports fields combined. It even felt larger than the entire interior of the Magic Tower I had just seen with my own eyes.

"Crow, this place is enormous."

"Of course! The cultivation room was created with high-dimensional magic by the previous archmage. It's a unique spell that only the previous archmage could cast, making it much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside!"

I couldn't hide my amazement. Crow's explanation was impressive, and the world unfolding before my eyes was equally fascinating. There were herbs, fruits, and ingredients I recognized, as well as plants I'd never seen before.

'At this point...self-sufficiency seems entirely possible.'

Even if someone were trapped in the cultivation room without outside supplies, they wouldn't have to worry about food for the rest of their life.

"Well then, shall we head to the alchemist's laboratory?"

After finishing our tour of the cultivation room, Crow flapped its wings and led me toward the next area.

"Crow, are we allowed to enter the lab?"

Normally, you couldn't just walk into a lab like that. Plus, I'd heard that alchemists weren't known for their friendly personalities.

But Crow seemed completely unfazed.

"Yes, of course!"

Though still unsure, I decided to follow it.

Knock, knock!

Crow tapped on the lab door with its beak, which I found unexpectedly endearing.

"Who is it?"

The door creaked open to reveal a gaunt man with a disheveled appearance. He looked like...well, like a zombie---or someone deeply addicted to Laughing Gas. Judging by the lack of telltale blue spots on his body, it seemed he wasn't addicted, though.

"There you are, Mr. Hakron!"

"Huh, Crow? What brings you here? Is this a summons from the Archmage?"

"No, no! I came to show him around!"

"...What?"

The man's face contorted with annoyance at Crow's cheerful reply.

Hakron, as Crow introduced him, looked to be in his late forties. His brown hair stuck out in every direction, his frame was painfully thin, and dark circles under his eyes gave him an unsettling, zombie-like appearance.

If he weren't so emaciated, he might have been considered handsome. But as it stood, his gaunt features only made him look more frightening.

-Don't be afraid, kid. At least he doesn't seem to be on Laughing Gas.

'Yeah, I noticed that too.'

While I silently agreed with Kyros's encouragement, Crow eagerly introduced me.

"This is Revelof Holden. Lady Helena visited the Magic Tower today, and he's her grandson!"

"Oh, hello. My name is Revelof Holden."

Holden's name seemed to carry significant weight within the Magic Tower. Hakron's irritated gaze softened slightly.

"...Feel free to look around and then leave."

With that, Hakron turned on his heel and shuffled back into the lab. Crow, ever undeterred, flew in after him.

"Come in quickly, Revelof! The research director has given permission, so explore as much as you'd like!"

The clueless bird was still calm, but I wondered if it was really okay to look around.

'But I've come this far, so I can't just go back.'

So I closed my eyes tightly and entered the lab.

It was moderately sized, with experimental tables scattered throughout. Various medicines seemed to be in the process of being created.

Purple smoke wafted from one side of the room, while black smoke curled up from another.

The lab wasn't just filled with equipment; books were strewn across the tables, alongside monster corpses and herbs, some of which were familiar to me.

What caught my attention most, though, were...

-Don't worry, they're alive.

'...I know.'

They were alchemists sprawled across the lab tables, looking as zombie-like as Hakron.

'What's this? They look like overworked graduate students.'

Some mumbled incoherently, others stared blankly into space, not even blinking and a few continued their experiments, though the results didn't seem promising.

"Ha..."

Hakron looked particularly worse for wear, his exhaustion evident.@@novelbin@@

"Mr. Hakron is the director of the research center. He's the most accomplished alchemist in the Magic Tower,"

Crow said cheerfully as soon as I looked at Hakron, despite the lack of reaction from Hakron or the other alchemists.

"They've been working on a cure for Celtio disease for months without success. That's why everyone looks like this! But don't worry---alchemists often spend half the year in despair!"

Crow's chirpy tone contrasted starkly with the grim scene.

As I wondered how to deal with this well-meaning but clueless bird, something Crow had mentioned suddenly clicked.

"Wait... Did you say Celtio disease?"

"Yes, Celtio disease!"

Thanks to Crow's unwitting explanation, I knew I could save these despairing alchemists.

Because I had the recipe for the cure for Celtio disease.