How the Cult Saves the World

"In today's world, how hard it must be to live as the leader of a small, nameless religion."

My grandmother's hand brushed my cheek, gently wiping away the tears that had been flowing for some time.

"I won't ask how you chose that god or how you came to be its leader. I just feel bad for the hardships my little puppy must have gone through."

Her warm words spread a comforting heat in a corner of my heart.

"Grandma..."

"You've had a hard time, haven't you, my dear?"

She pulled me into a tight hug, and I cried in her warm, firm embrace.

"Yes, yes, my child. You've had a hard time. You did such a great, great job."

She kept patting my back, her voice soothing. I cried endlessly, listening to her comforting words. I wasn't sure why. I had thought of the world as just a game, something I could get through without difficulty.

But hearing words of comfort from someone for the first time peeled away the mask I had unknowingly been wearing since I possessed this body.

-You've worked hard, my child. You've really worked hard.

Kyros joined her, comforting me with his words. He was crying just as much as I was. I could hear the sniffles from his nose and the tremor in his voice.

Time passed like that, the quiet of the room broken only by my sniffling and the soft sound of my grandmother patting my back.

"Are you feeling better now?"

She must have noticed that my tears had stopped because her voice came gently.

I nodded, slipping out of her arms. Then I saw her looking at me kindly.

'Aaaah.'

Every time this happened, I felt sorry for the real Revelof Holden.

The real Revelof Holden had a warm, loving family like this that I didn't have for one moment since I was born, yet he was afflicted with an incurable disease.

Perhaps it was because of that that I now had the chance to live this life.

"I'm sorry, Grandma,"

I said, wiping my still-wet eyes.

My grandmother shook her head, handing me a glass of water from the bedside table.

"It's alright. Hurry up and drink this."

As I drank, only then did my emotions settle. The tears stopped, and embarrassment crept in. My behavior felt so childish.

'This is bad.'

Family affection, something I'd never experienced before, was my weakness. For now, it was just my grandmother, but I feared this vulnerability might become a bigger problem in the future.

"When did my little puppy grow up so much?"

But I suddenly heard my grandmother's words and I kept my mouth shut. I am not even your real grandson. The Holden family will see me as the real Revelof Holden.

'...That kinda stings.'

I felt a pang of guilt in my conscience. As I tried to shake off that feeling, my grandmother asked me a question with genuine doubt.

"Please feel free to tell me whenever you want. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"Oh, no. I'll tell you now... It was about ten months ago. I wasn't feeling well and prayed to the heavens. That's when the God Kyros answered me."

"You prayed to the heavens and they answered? How do you know who the god Kyros was? Weren't you praying to the god Diego?"

"I wasn't praying to anyone in particular. Diego...never answered me before. So I prayed for someone who would listen. And Kyros did. Thanks to him, I recovered."

"Ah... I see. So that's why the Kyros Church was able to preach a cure for Malone's disease."

I explained it in the easiest way possible, and grandmother understood quickly.

"Yes. That's when I decided to follow Kyros. I worked hard to spread his will, helping the people of Rovel and building a temple there..."

"Come to think of it, I heard the Kyros Church recently became the state religion of Bahano. Levi, I've been following the news ever since I heard you became a priest of the Kyros Church."

"I see. Yeah, that's right, Lord Kyros has blessed me with a lot of strength."

"He must have, for Jenna to covet you as a talent too."

A smile spread across Grandma's lips. Fortunately, her reaction was better than I had hoped.

-Haha. This feels really good.

Kyros's laughter echoed warmly in my mind as he seemed happy about the compliment.

"A little while ago, you saved me from that dream-like world, Levi. Was that power also from Kyros?"

"...Yes, it was thanks to his power that I could save you. It's a secret, but I also saved our Sevenus before."

When I smiled faintly, my grandmother's eyes opened slightly wider.

"You saved Sevi too? Does he know you're the leader?"

"No. No one knows that the leader of the Kyros Church and Revelof Holden are the same person, except for a few senior members of the church. I intend to keep it that way."

"Why? It's something to be proud of."

"I was worried my family might be harmed by those who dislike the Kyros Church."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"For you, Grandma...the circumstances were what they were. But honestly, the biggest reason was that I wanted to save you."

Yes. That was my main goal.

As I said this, my grandmother's mouth opened slightly. Before she could respond, I quickly added:

"I wish you would become a believer in the Kyros Church."

"...Levi, my dear. It seems like you've found a way to cure my illness."

My grandmother, carefully studying my expression, spoke with confidence. I nodded, meeting her eyes with a serious gaze.

"Yes, Grandma. I've found a cure for Mana Burn. The cure is for you to become a believer in Kyros."

"......"

"Of course, faith isn't something you can force. But if it's possible..."

My grandmother stared at me for a moment. I met her eyes directly for a few seconds. She opened her mouth with a serious expression.

"Alright. If my dear Levi wants it, I'll try to believe."

That was the moment it happened.

[Helena Holden has become a member of the Kyros Church.]

I couldn't believe it. Was it really this easy to bring someone to faith?

"I've never believed in any god before, but if this god, whatever god it is, has healed you, then I don't need any more convincing."

My sincerity had reached my grandmother. I was so touched that I held her hands.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Now it was up to Kyros.

'Lord Kyros, please take care of her.'

-I know without you saying anything, my little lamb.@@novelbin@@

As soon as I heard Kyros's smiling voice, a faint light began radiating from my entire body.

"Levi, what's happening...?"

I smiled at her startled expression. The light that flowed out of me began to gather in the air.

It felt like warm sunlight, just as it always did, and it slowly started taking shape.

'This time, it'll probably be a puppy again.'

I imagined Kyros appearing in his familiar puppy form, but as the light took shape, I froze.

Long arms, long legs, and the semi-naked upper body of a man emerged.

'...Uh.'

I was stunned. Kyros, finally making his appearance in the air, had appeared in his true form instead of the adorable puppy form I was used to.

Radiating a divine beauty, Kyros winked at me playfully before turning his gaze to my grandmother.

"Nice to meet you, my new follower."

His soft voice resonated in the room. My grandmother's eyes widened in astonishment.

"You are the family member of my first and most faithful Apostle, so I will share my true power with you."

Unlike before, when he had shared his power in his puppy form, Kyros now reached out in his true form.

His hand rested gently on my grandmother's head, and a pure white light flowed into her, in whose eyes shock was still apparent.

"You shall always be under my care."

With those words, Kyros began to fade. His body dissolved into pure white light, disappearing from the tips of his feet upward.

Neither my grandmother nor I could look away until he vanished completely.

When he was gone...

"Haa... Oh my... Was that really Kyros?"

My grandmother asked me, catching her breath. I nodded with a smile.

"Yes, Grandma. That was Kyros, the God I serve. Isn't he beautiful?"

"Yes, very beautiful. And...this power he gave me...this feeling..."

"How are you feeling?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Actually, I feel like I have more energy now than I did before I got sick."

It was clear that my grandmother's complexion had improved significantly compared to before.

'Thank you, Kyros. I didn't expect you to manifest yourself.'

-It's because my true form allows me to impart more refined power. After all, your grandmother was very ill.

'I see. Thank you for your kindness.'

-No need to thank me, child. I would do anything for you.

When I expressed my gratitude again, Kyros laughed warmly, his happiness unmistakable.

Meanwhile, my grandmother got out of bed and stretched lightly, her energy radiating.

"What on earth is going on...?"

"The power that Lord Kyros gave you is called 'Holy Power'. It's similar to mana, but its source is different. The power I have is also Holy Power."

"Oh, I see."

"Yes. So, even though Jenna said I have the qualities of a mage, if I were to stop being the leader and become a mage instead, my powers would probably disappear."

After telling the story jokingly, I added some serious remarks.

"Unlike mana, holy power recovers very quickly. Even under the effect of 'Mana Burn', the recovery speed is faster than the rate of consumption. That's why you'll feel much better than before."

"So, does this mean that Mana Burn has been completely cured?"

"It's hard to say it's a complete recovery...but I can guarantee that you'll never experience Mana Shock again."

I could say this with confidence, having studied it thoroughly in the texts. As I finished speaking, my grandmother, who had been stretching, suddenly ran toward me.

Before I could react, she caught me in her arms.

"Thank you, my puppy. So this is why you shared your secret with me."

"Oh, huh? Yeah, that's right."

"I'm sorry. I'm such a loser for making you reveal such a big secret."

"No, no, Grandma. It's okay. I should be the one apologizing. I made you a believer just so I could borrow God's power."

"But, Levi, you did it for me. You must have worked so hard to save me, even in ways I didn't see... How could I not be grateful?"

"Actually, I thought I might be going too far. Grandma...you even rejected Diego's offer, and you spoke like you had no regrets about life. I wondered if it was okay to do this. But..."

"But?"

"Even if it was me being a busybody, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. That's why I did it even though it was a bit selfish of me."

There was no immediate response. Instead, I felt warmth spreading through my left shoulder where her head rested.

"Thank you, my puppy."

She said nothing more, but I understood everything.

'What I did...'

It wasn't me being a busybody.