For a moment, Lucius allowed the silence to remain.
He breathed in and out, observing the slight tension in the atmosphere after Lili's outburst. Her words, while well-intentioned had a few adverse effects that Lucius noticed and was determined to remedy.
'The most egregious one is that it damaged Luca's morale, which I'm trying very hard to delicately build.' Lucius narrowed his gaze on the very fragile boy who was now trapped in a world of monsters.
Lili was well-regarded as a powerful witch.
Legion had become a Death Knight—an Undead more powerful than the others.
'And I am the freaking Lord of the Dead. Isn't it obvious that he's the odd one out, since he's nothing more than a soldier.' He sighed. 'Not just that, but he was an enemy up until yesterday, which means his position in the Cult is not yet stable.'
Lucius was well aware that it probably wasn't Lili's intention to discriminate, but she was still unintentionally doing so due to her view on outsiders. 'I know religion usually fosters the 'us versus them' mentality, but this is quite extreme…'
He had to come up with a remedy—and fast—while also somehow keeping the standards of the Cult and not degrading Lili's standing as the Cult Leader.
To achieve this, he decided to take a more careful approach.
"Lili, how was the Cult able to recruit its current members?" He began with a simple, harmless question.
If he got a bad answer, he could point out the flaws in her logic and in the recruitment methods of the Cult. But, even if he got a good answer, that wouldn't be a bad thing.
'We can just use that method as a template, and see how to bring in more members with it.'
However, considering how Lili and Legion never suggested the Cult's usual method of recruitment, there had to be a fault in it.
That was what he was looking for.
"We initially spread the message to all the oppressed peasants and told them of your greatness. After offering them hope and convincing them to leave behind their worldly possessions, they believed in your message and joined the Heresy Cult."
'I see… I see.' Lucius rubbed his chin. 'I can now see why the Cult is in such a state.'
It was a well-known fact that illiterates and those in less privileged positions were the easiest to manipulate. Since they would react to the slightest ray of hope that graced them, and they also didn't know the complexity of high society.
A peasant usually led an extremely simple life, which made them simple-minded.
As such, a message of salvation that made them feel special… chosen… would elicit some sort of positive reaction from them.
'Add that to the fact that they were oppressed by the current system that was propagated by the Church, it's obvious that they will bear some resentment towards the existing social hierarchy and would want to change it.' He smiled slowly. 'She also mentioned how they were able to leave their possessions and old lives behind due to their belief in the message, but… that is nothing special, is it?'
What possessions did they have to leave behind in the first place? The land they tilled belonged to the Lord, and so they didn't have much to hold onto, to begin with.
Their fate would simply be to work as servants of a much higher power until the day they died.
'It's easy to abandon such a life for a similar one where you can have freedom—or, at least, an illusion of it.'
The Cult wasn't so different from regular society.
It was still an oppressive group with the ones in higher authority telling those in lower positions what to do and how to live. Cult members had no sense of individuality and followed the will of their leader.
… Or their God.
'There is no freedom here, just as there's no freedom out there.' His smile gradually disappeared.
'It's all just packaging.'
"Lord Mors, it might be an excruciatingly slow process, but we can still grow our numbers using the normal ways. With your presence giving us strength, and the miracles you are able to perform, I am certain that even more will believe." Lili said, her tone frantic.
'I get that… but the problem is time.' Lucius sighed, shaking his head. 'We can't afford to go too slow—not at this point.'
"Lili, the Cult's old ways still converted people who believed in false gods. The church… the lords… the peasants… it doesn't matter where a person comes from as long as they are willing to repent from their sinful path and choose the one path to salvation."
The path of Lord Mors.
"Luca's suggestion is efficient, but I also recognize the value in your objection. We can use the old ways on a new demographic—the nearby Cults."
In a sense, it could prove even more difficult to convert members of other Cults, since their devotion to the religion they practiced would be far stronger than regular peasants. However, if they managed to perfect the formula, the harvest they could reap would be immense.
'In the end, it's all packaging. If we can present our message in an appetizing way, I'm sure a lot of people will take the bait.'
Humans were inherently selfish beings, after all.
It was the duty of any religious group or organization to capitalize on the needs of their followers and use it to fuel their fate.
Christians desire eternal bliss and glorious rewards, so they stick to the Church.
Knights crave honor and recognition, so they swear loyalty to a Lord.
Lords desire greater power, so they lower their head to a much higher authority— the Warlords.
'Members of the Heresy Cult desire immortality and prosperity, so they devote themselves to the Lord of the Dead.' Lucius smiled. In the end, being a Cult Member was no different from a peasant or lord in that regard.
Everyone simply wanted something.
'As for me… I want Cult Members, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure they are obtained in the best way possible.'
"You must already be well aware of the benefits that having new members will bring to the Cult, and how it will please me to see our group expand."
"I… I…"
"Do you doubt that they will abandon their false gods and grow to revere me, Lord Mors, once they witness my magnificent power?"
"N-no! Not at all! You are correct, Lord Mors!"
'Good! I managed to get her agreement while also recognizing her position and the old ways of the Cult.' Lucius smiled to himself.
Honestly, he was mostly winging a lot of these things—taking the challenge as they arrived—but thanks to his calm mind and position of authority, he was finding it a lot easier to deal with these issues than he initially imagined.
'And now… for the finishing touches…'
"I'm glad you understand, Lili. The Cult can not take this step without you on board, so I want to know if you are with us."
"Yes, Lord Mors! A hundred percent, I am with you."
"That pleases me."
"Lord Mors…" The admiration in Lili's eyes as he concluded the issue made the whole thing worth it, and that also confirmed that she was genuine about her words.
"How about you, Legion? Do you have any dissenting thoughts?"
"Not at all, Lord Mors. Your will is my command." Those words resonated with nothing but sincerity, and Lucius knew this not only because of his acute observation.
Since he was linked to all of his Undead, he could also feel whatever they felt anytime he wanted to. This was a one-way channel, though, so they couldn't do the same with him.
'I also feel like I can read their minds if they try hard enough.' He rubbed his chin. 'Should I try it?'
Focusing his gaze on Legion, he decided to delve deeper into his subordinate's inner thoughts.
What he found… was slightly disturbing.
~LORD MORS IS GREAT!~
~LORD MORS IS THE BEST!~
~THE MOST AMAZING BEING IN THE WHOLE WORLD… IS LORD MORS!~
'So many loud voices all yammering the same thing—about how great I am.' He shuddered.
At the very least, this was proof that Legion was on his side, and would most likely never disagree with anything he did.
'That's good to know…'
With everyone now on the same page, he proceeded to ask the next pertinent question. "Which Cult should we target first?"
This time, Lili raised her hand, a determined smile plastered on her face.
'That's the spirit!'
"Yes, let's hear it, Lili." Lucius gestured for her to speak up.
"We should start with the Cathars."
"..."
For a moment, there was silence in the room. Lucius glanced at Luca and found a slightly surprised expression on his face, and then looked at Legion, who was nodding adamantly, clearly being in support of the idea.
After a few more moments of silence, Lucius had one rather embarrassing thought.
'Cathars? Who the hell are those?'