"Firstly… I have not forgotten the requests that the Cult made at my summoning."
Lucius' gaze especially fell on Lili, but it quickly shifted to Legion, and then it spread throughout the entire room—once again remembering his arrival into this world as though it were yesterday.
… Which it was.
"I believe I have partly fulfilled the promise of immortality. However, before I can completely grace the rest of the Cult with the undying power that Legion here now enjoys, I will have to regain my full power." He slowly turned in the direction of the Cult Leader. "Even though I would have preferred to do so now, Lili has advised me to postpone everyone's undying transformation until that time arrives. Isn't that right, Lili?"
"That is correct, Lord Mors."
'Great! Now I can have her take responsibility for any dissatisfaction that the ones that haven't become Undead may have regarding why some of the Cult members are now immortal and they aren't.'
This had been Lucius' plan from the start, and he was glad to have Lili backing him up.
"For the other goal, which is revenge… I believe that will be a systematic achievement as we advance even further and I gain more of my original power. I have been informed that the Lord that governs this territory is Geralt. He is also the Lord you used to work for, isn't that right, Luca?"
"Y-yes, Lord Mors!"
"However, the Lord that is truly responsible for the persecution you suffered is one that has a much higher standing than this Geralt…" Lucius said, happier than ever that he asked Lili so many questions before the start of the meeting.
Knowing all of these things made him seem like a competent leader.
"The true enemy is one of the 9 Warlords that govern the Continent. His name is… Fabian, am I right?"
"You are correct, Lord Mors!" Legion roared in deep admiration.
It felt like all the thousand souls in their body resonated very deeply with what he had just said.
'Lili didn't give me the full details of what this Lord did to persecute the Cult, but I'm guessing it must involve killing their members and cutting off their financial supply. I won't even be surprised if this Lord was the one who ordered Geralt to send that Knight and soldiers to eliminate the Cult.' Lucius rubbed his chin.
In any case, that was his primary enemy at the moment.
"Finally, the desire for prosperity… just as with revenge… is a systematic process." As he spoke, they all nodded. "I will make sure these blighted lands overflow with such riches and power unlike ever before. It will gush with unparalleled wealth… a haven… an oasis… a sanctuary."
As he painted the grandiose image, despite not being completely sure of how he will achieve all of these things, he heard Lili and Legion gasp and squeal with excitement.
They clasped their hands in devotion and worshiped him with sheer intensity.
It was frankly a little too much.
"A-ahem…" Upon clearing his throat, the two instantly ceased their veneration.
"Putting all of these into consideration, it is clear that we have to advance as a group before these great plans I have can be accomplished. For that, we need to be able to protect ourselves and also grow beyond our current number."
In essence, preservation and expansion.
For preservation, Lucius already knew that Lili was hard at work on it.
She had plans to erect a barrier with Spells, using the dead soldiers that weren't eviscerated by Lucius' [Death Touch] as a catalyst. Since there were over thirty bodies, that would be more than enough for a temporary solution.
'So she says anyway…'
"To fortify the territory, a large compound wall will be built by the ninety-seven of my Undying followers. The construction will be supervised by Lili, who will enchant it with Spells so it is sturdy and can partially hide us from external observation." He declared.
As expected, everyone nodded in agreement.
For a much more sturdy layer of protection—one that could undoubtedly cloak them from the outside world, and also protect them from any assault—they needed more resources and materials.
Lili had informed him of all these things beforehand, but he still spelled it out to everyone, so they thought it was his idea.
Of course, he knew Lili would take his side on the matter, so he wasn't shy about taking her idea as his own. In fact, with her devoted personality and absolute piety towards him, she was more than likely to feel honored by this act.
One look at her sparkling eyes as he spoke was enough evidence to support his reasoning.
"These ingredients can not be gotten en masse, however, if we do not expand." Lucius said, now delving into the real cause of the meeting.
"While the Cult's devotion is unparalleled, we are simply lacking in members."
In the first place, it was because the Heresy Cult was so small and weak that they had to hide from the outside world. They were in a vulnerable position at the moment, and if they didn't find a permanent solution to the problem, they would eventually be erased from the world.
'To properly survive in this era, we need more power.'
Sure, Lucius was already plenty powerful, but that wasn't the kind of power he was referring to.
'The strength of an organization isn't just determined by its leader, but by how many capable members it possesses.' He sighed. 'I need competent members on my side, especially to fill up executive positions as we further expand.'
"Now… does anyone have suggestions on how to get more members?"
Silence.
There was absolute silence in the room.
'Well, I don't blame them.' Lucius thought to himself as his eyes scoured the faces before him.
The Heresy Cult was already branded as an enemy of the Church, which made it a prime public menace. Its headquarters was also in the middle of nowhere, and the message preached was so bizarre that Lucius was even surprised that the Cult had members at all.
'Plus, with the Lord of the land against us… and one of the Warlords pulling the strings from behind, it'll be difficult convincing any competent person around to join our cause.'
They were still far too weak and small for that.
'I could show off some of my powers to convince people, but is that really the right way to go about getting members? Luca was an exception, since I had to kill his whole squad in order to display my overwhelming strength. But, I only killed them because they were my enemies and due to its necessity.'
Lucius wasn't just going to run around killing people and bringing the few survivors into the Cult. Not only would that be highly inefficient, but such a method would only breed strife towards him over time.
'The larger the Cult grows, the more difficult it will be for me to really tell who is loyal and who isn't—especially if I haven't turned them into Undead yet. Argh… this is all so annoying, honestly!'
As Lucius was still agonizing over what route to take on the matter, his eyes spotted one hand being raised.
'Ah!' His eyes beamed as he saw that it belonged to Luca. 'As always… you don't disappoint.'
"What is it, Luca?"
"I-I was just wondering… if we can't just absorb another Cult into our ranks."
'Eh? We can… do that?'
"I-I mean, when you look at it objectively… Cults are branded as enemies by the church, so any other cult around will be in a similar situation as us unless they have some rich and powerful benefactors. We can use that to our advantage and convert the members in those smaller cults to increase our numbers… I think."
'Whoa! That's a brilliant idea, actually.' Lucius hid his genuine surprise behind his poker face as he looked at the young man who suggested the plan.
"That is a good suggestion, Luca. Well said."
"T-thank you, Lord Mors!" He responded, an excited grin now playing on his face. It was obvious that the words of encouragement that Lucius offered had become fuel for motivation.
'Good! Make sure you keep working hard for me, okay?'
Lucius glanced at the other two members present, but contrary to what he expected from them, they both seemed displeased.
"Do you have any objections?" He turned to Lili, already knowing Legion would most likely speak in the negative.
They were loyal to a fault.
However, with Lili, even though she never challenged his position, an exception could arise if she had genuine concerns that couldn't be overlooked.
This seemed like one of those cases.
"Lord Mors… I do not agree with the suggestion that Luca gave."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because it involves bringing in people who believe in another false god. How are they any better than the Church?" She replied. "They are not worthy of Lord Mors' consideration, and they are undeserving of your power."
'Ahh… it seems I overlooked the most important aspect of the plan. This isn't just any kind of organization.' Lucius narrowed his gaze as he looked into Lili's fiery eyes.
'It's a religious one.'