"Lord Mors… I have a confession to make."
The grim tone that Lili used to say those words caught Lucius' attention, instantly breaking him out of his reverie. He was thankful that his poker face remained unbroken, even as he felt a slight unease from the way she worded her statement.
"What is it?"
He could feel the tension rise as she raised her head and stared at him.
Those two crimson eyes of hers… they burned with something unmistakably acute that Lucius knew his heart would be racing if he wasn't Lord Mors.
'Could it be… she realized the truth while I was asleep?'
Lucius still didn't know much about this world, but it was clear that the supernatural was a norm here. Since Lili was able to steal Souls, wasn't it possible that she peered into his Soul and found out the truth about him?
'Does she know I'm not actually the Lord Mors they worship? That I'm a fraud?'
If that was the case, why would she tell him?
Maybe she didn't know for sure and simply wanted to confirm with him. If that was the case, then he couldn't let her think he was not the person she suspected him to be.
'I have to be the Lord Mors that the Cult needs… because I need the Cult.'
But what if he couldn't convince Lili?
'I might have to ki—'
"I am a little envious." Lili interrupted his thought process with words that were completely different from what Lucius had expected.
'E-eh?'
"The ninety-seven whom you raised as your undying servants… and Legion, who is the accumulation of the thousand virgins that were sacrificed at your behest—they managed to reach the end-goal of the Cult before me."
'Ohh… is that what this is all about? Immortality?' Lucius felt relief wash over his body.
From what Lili had told him at the beginning, the Heresy Cult's prime objective was the immortality that their Lord Mors would give them. This had to come in the form of turning into Undead, so in a sense… he could offer them their end goal using his power.
"I am the Cult Leader, yet my juniors experienced your incredible power before me." She sighed, bitterness clearly dripping from her every word. "It is indeed regretful."
The situation quickly became awkward for Lucius.
'Should I offer to kill her and turn her into an Undead? Is that what she wants?' He wondered.
However, before he could properly process the hidden meaning behind her words, she said something that caused the idea to vanish from his mind.
"Knowing your kind nature, Lord Mors, I suspect you are contemplating offering me such a priceless gift at this moment. However, I must once again urge you to exercise due caution regarding the use of your power."
'Ahh… that's true.' Lucius instantly snapped back to objectivity.
"While I am envious, I will wait until you have amassed sufficient Soul Essence and once again come before you and make my selfish request."
Lili bowed her head as she finished her confession, her forehead touching the ground.
'How can I not be moved by such sincerity?' Lucius felt touched. 'She's willing to postpone a goal that is right in front of her for my sake… what an excellent Cult Leader!'
He could now see why she was the leader of his followers.
"Very well. When the time comes… you will experience my power as well."
"Thank you, Lord Mors."
After a few seconds of silence in the room, Lucius decided to ask his next question—something he had been curious about even before Lili brought up his Undead.
"So, tell me… how are my Undea—I mean, followers?" He asked. "What is the current state of the Cult?"
Once again, Lili did not fail him in responding to the question.
"You have a total of one hundred and ten subordinates, Lord Mors. Ninety-seven of whom have attained an undying state, alongside Legion who has transcended the mere state of undying. Then there's me, Luca, and the ten other followers who helped me with the ritual to summon you."
'Ohh… that's pretty good. Luca must be the soldier I spared.'
"As for the current state of the Cult, the building has been repaired and is under renovation. Since we now have the manpower, we plan to break down a few areas and extend the building so there will be more room."
'That's good… that's good.' Lucius kept nodding his head as he heard more and more good news regarding the progress of the cult.
Then—
"As for the Cult's inventory… it is regretful to say, but we are very much lacking."
—The depressing news began.
Lili went on to give inventory regarding the assets of the Cult, revealing just how impoverished the group was. They were lacking even basic stuff like food, water, clothing, and the necessary essentials needed in an organized group such as furniture.
Most importantly, they had no money.
"... On the bright side, most of our members no longer require feeding since they have attained an undying state, so our expenses have reduced by a lot. Once again, this is all thanks to Lord Mors and his power, so we are immensely grateful…" Of course, Lili tried to create a positive spin around the issue, but Lucis saw it for what it was.
'We're dead broke.'
After listening to the Cult's specifics, the conclusion was that they were in a financial crisis. Unfortunately for them, due to their doctrines and being branded as enemies by the church, they couldn't find normal work to fund the church.
Having such a structure, it was clear why they had run into such a problem.
'If those soldiers hadn't killed them, it's very possible that they would have died from starvation in the end.' He held back his sigh. 'Lili doesn't seem like an incompetent leader, though, so how could things have gotten this bad?'
If he had to guess, this would be related to the persecution that Lili referred to when he was just summoned.
'It's also possible that there is some great depression during this period, since it's in the Dark Ages.'
In any case, now that he was here, he would have to think of a solution.
'The prosperity of the Cult means security for me, after all. Now that I have a stronghold, as well as people who are entirely dedicated to me, I have to make sure they become a proper group.'
To do that, though, he needed to understand the world a little more.
"Tell me more about this era, Lili. What year is it? Who are the ones in power?" Despite being incredibly ignorant about everything, the tone he used to ask these questions hardly painted him in a negative light.
In fact, the look on Lili's face showed that she was more than happy to tell him everything he needed to know.
"Lord Mors… no one knows the precise date, since a lot of records have been lost due to the myriads of conflicts that have plagued our land, however the current year is somewhere between 800 and 900 CE."
'That's so vague, though…' Lucius' mind echoed in concern.
"We are in the Dark Ages, where oppression and injustice runs rampant, my Lord. The Holy Empire, which is run by the Church, holds absolute power over nearly the entire continent, and the 9 Warlords who support them are no better."
"Nearly…?"
"The Caliphate also exists eastward, Lord Mors."
"I see…"
"Those are the three Pillars of Power in the Continent… and the blight that stains this land, which should be free."
Lucius could feel the seething anger that came from Lili as she spoke.
Her passion for liberty and the vitriol that she felt towards the overlords that held the people in a strict system of oppression was palpable. In all of his life, Lucius had never felt passion to such an extent, so he could hardly understand the source of her drive.
… The root of her pain.
"Lord Mors, please upturn this perverse system and be the light that brings an end to this Dark Age." She bowed her head, clasping her hands in prayer. "I will stand behind you through it all, the Cult as well."
Lucius listened to all of these in silence, his perspective completely different from hers.
'I would rather just live in peace and quiet—at least, until I learn more about my power and everything I can find out about this new reality of mine. But…' He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the pleading face of the woman in front of him. '... I have to fulfill the three wishes of the Cult, don't I?'
One was Immortality. The second was revenge.
And the final… was prosperity.
'If the Three Pillars are the ones sapping the life from this Era and are responsible for the wretched state of my Cult, then my conflict with them is inevitable.' As he thought this, Lucius rose from his bed and walked to Lili's anterior.
He then placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Very well, Lili." Having a gentle smile on his face, he spoke softly. "I have listened to your request."
"Lord Mors…" She whispered, her eyes leaking out tears as she looked up at him.
"Those Three Pillars…" Lucius raised his second hand in the air—ensuring his movement had enough theatrical flair to them.
A moment of silence.
Then… he clenched his fist.
"... They will crumble by my very hands."