Surviving as a Cult Leader in Another World (On Pause)

The Count's mansion was spacious and grand.

Just how many rooms were there?
Psyche's younger brother, Dihon, was staying in a room on the second floor, a place I had never set foot in.
This is it.
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat in front of the room of Dihon, the Count's only son, Psyche's younger brother, and my brother-in-law. The maid guarding the entrance frowned and asked me,
"Lord Hyde, what brings you here?"
Her expression was laced with suspicion.
The Count's only son.
As the maid guarding the room where he resided, she must have a high level of loyalty to the Agarphe family. I replied to her casually,
"I realized that I haven't met my brother-in-law yet, even though I've become part of the Agarphe family. I thought I'd just say hello. Is my brother-in-law, Dihon, inside?"
Slide-.
It was when I was about to put my hand on the doorknob.
The maid exclaimed, "Wh, what?!" in great surprise and blocked the way between me and the door.
"The Count has ordered that no one is allowed to enter Dihon's room except those with special permission! Please leave!"
The security was excessively tight.
Perhaps this was how the only son of a great noble family was treated.
As the heir who would carry on the family line, he must be raised with great care.
Of course, the Agarphe family had a daughter named Psyche, but she had vowed to live as a chastity advocate.
Since Psyche decided not to have children, the only one among the Agarphe children who had the possibility of having children was the eldest son, Dihon.
Wait a minute.
That means if Dihon has a major accident or becomes unable to have children due to an unexpected illness, the Count's family line will be permanently cut off.
Indeed, that's why the Agarphe family is trying to hide and protect Dihon so tightly.
"If the boy in this room loses his life or something, Lady Psyche will have no choice but to break her vow of chastity. She wouldn't want the Agarphe family line to end."
"Wh, what are you saying?! Please leave! Dihon is in poor health and cannot meet people casually or even leave his room!"
"…"
He's in poor health and cannot meet people casually or even leave his room?
I felt like I had just heard some very important information from the blushing maid.
And it felt like one of my questions was being answered.
When Psyche Agarphe was feigning illness.
The Agarphe family spent an enormous amount of money on purchasing "medicinal herbs" to convince people that their daughter was truly sick.
It was enough to shake the already declining Agarphe economy.
I wondered if it was really necessary to go that far just to avoid marriage, and I also wondered where those medicinal herbs were being used.
Now I see that the medicinal herbs were being used here.
The musty smell of medicinal herbs permeated the hallway even though the door was closed.
There was a real 'sick person' in the Agarphe family.
"But can't you let me in? I just want to see his face."
"No! How do we know if you'll harm Dihon or not? If Dihon's condition worsens and he dies, you're the one who benefits the most!"
Indeed, that was true.
If Dihon disappears, the future power of the Count's family will be concentrated on the only daughter, Psyche.
And I, as her husband, would be able to pick up a lot of crumbs that fall from the table.
"No wonder Oscar Archibald was aiming for the position of the Count's son-in-law."
He was trying to take over the entire Count's family and completely occupy the Durgien region.
This Durgien region is divided between the nobles, including the Count's family, and Archibald's church.
"Scouti, what's all the commotion?"
Click.
Just then,
The sound of heels clicking came from behind.
The maid hurriedly bowed her head.
"M, Madam…!"
There was only one person this fierce maid would call Madam.
Wilhelmina, the Countess of Agarphe.
She appeared and looked at us.
"Mother-in-law, you're still as beautiful as ever."
"Hyde, you're here instead of being at the celebration. Did you come to see Dihon? But I'm afraid that's not possible. Dihon is a child that even I, his mother, can't meet casually."
Is it that serious?
Soon, Wilhelmina, with a face that belied her age of late thirties, started to sob with tears in her eyes.
"Dihon has been weak since birth. Dihon and Psyche suffering from illness is definitely a divine punishment for our family betraying our faith. What should we do…!"
I was born without a mother, so I felt unfamiliar with the pain of parents who have to watch their children suffer from illness.
But even I could tell that the Countess was deeply saddened and blaming herself.
"Psyche vowed to live as a single woman for the rest of her life because of her brother's illness. Hyde, you cured Psyche's illness, didn't you? Then can't you also cure Dihon's illness?!"
Grab-.
The Countess grabbed my arm with considerable force.
"Please, cure Dihon's illness!"
Crack, snap-.
How is she so strong? My arm feels like it's breaking!
Is this what it feels like to be caught by a mother bear protecting her cub?
But there was one thing I had to say for sure.
"Mother, being punished for sinning is something that happens only after death and judgment. Getting sick cannot be a punishment for sin. The Lord is love, so He does not punish emotionally."
"…You're saying Dihon and Psyche getting sick wasn't a divine punishment? Scholar Selim didn't say that. Selim said we need to repent and pray diligently."
Selim.
Was he the theological scholar hired by the Agarphe family?
The face of the nerdy man who was considered a potential groom along with Loras flashed briefly in my mind.
Now I understand how things work within the Agarphe family.
I spread my arms naturally and said,
"It's not a healthy faith to think that all human misfortune is God's punishment. Look at me. I was an orphan from birth. Was that because of divine punishment?"
If misfortune is a consequence of sin, then being born into misfortune means that my very existence was a sin.
Of course, in a way, that's true.
Humans are born with sinfulness because of Adam's original sin.
But I dare say that I didn't become an orphan because of that sinfulness.
"God sometimes has plans for us that are beyond human understanding. It may seem like misfortune, but sometimes it becomes a lifeline to salvation."
"…You're saying that sometimes things that seem like misfortune become a lifeline to salvation?"
The Countess looked at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, even though she didn't seem to understand.
She must really want to grab onto a lifeline.
Faith is something that penetrates deeper into those who are desperate.
Thump-.
Like a passionate actor, I pointed to my chest with my palm and said,
"Mother, remember that Job, who suffered unilaterally, eventually found salvation through it! And didn't the Agarphe family gain the good fortune of having me as their son-in-law because Lady Psyche got sick? This is how suffering becomes a ladder to salvation within providence!"
"Hyde, are you saying you can cure Dihon's illness?!"
Mother-in-law Wilhelmina's face lit up like a star.
I said to her,
"To do that, I need to see the patient first. May I see Dihon, the only son of the Count's family?"
I need to see the patient to know what his condition is.
It was then.
"No visits are allowed to Dihon today. This is the authority the Count has given me, so even the Countess must comply."
Clatter, clatter-.
A nerdy man with glasses appeared in the hallway, holding a washbasin in his hand.
His hair was blond like Loras's, and his face was gaunt, but his eyes held passion.
"Please step aside, everyone. It's time for Young Master Dihon to have his blood drawn."
Clang-.
It was Selim, the man who showed the blade that was placed in the washbasin.
"You're drawing blood with that hook-shaped knife?"
I frowned.
Was that knife even sterilized?
It doesn't look like it.
I don't know if it was a knife used for cutting grass, but there were still straws stuck to it. That's how surgical tools were in this uncivilized world where there was no concept of sterilization.
However, Selim raised his eyebrows at me.
"Lord Hyde, bloodletting is the latest trend in treatment even at the academy."
Creak-.
The door, which seemed like it would never open, opened.
And a boy, who looked like he had just graduated from elementary school, peeked out from between the door with a pale face.
"S, Scholar Selim. Do I have to have my blood drawn again today? That much?"
"Please bear with the pain. And you mustn't breathe in the outside air carelessly. After we draw your blood, I'll tell you about the book I saw at the library when I was at the academy."
"The story about the swindler, Aladdin, using a magic lamp to marry the princess was not very good. In the end, the princess was tricked into marrying a man who was nothing special except for the lamp."
The boy's blue eyes looked at me as he spoke.
He was skinny and pale, but there was something about his spirit that reminded me of Doban and Psyche.
Somehow, his gaze seemed to say that my marriage to his sister, Psyche, was a fraud orchestrated by me.
Kid, I'm the one who got scammed.
Do you know what it's like to be a husband who's been stuffed since the first night?
Creak, click-.
Soon, Selim and Dihon closed the door and went inside.
Dihon groaned in pain from the bloodletting.
Listening to the sound from beyond the door, as Wilhelmina wiped her tears with a handkerchief, I finished my diagnosis.
"Lethargy. Difficulty breathing. Occasional nausea with vomiting. Malnutrition due to indigestion. There are quite a few diseases that come to mind, but the most likely one is the brain…"
"…"
Slide-.
Wilhelmina's expression remained worried.
I quickly changed the direction of my words.
"-No, it must be a disease of the heart…"
"Oh my, you can tell just by looking?! Dihon's illness is indeed a heart disease!"
Countess Wilhelmina Agarphe was very surprised by my diagnosis.
If I had said it wasn't a heart disease, I was going to list all sorts of diseases, starting with stomach ulcers, but it seems I hit the bullseye with my first guess.
It's a good thing Mother Wilhelmina's expressions are so transparent.
"If you know the disease, you can cure it too!"
Wilhelmina was very happy.
Do I know how to cure heart disease?
To be honest, I could say I know and I could say I don't know.
I know the method, but I'm not a professional doctor, so I can't perform surgery or anything like that.
In the first place, can I even gather the necessary tools for surgery in this world?
"I think I can give it a try. Before that, it's important to become close to Young Master Dihon. To recover from both faith and illness, it's important to improve community relations."
"Improve community relations…?"
Countess Wilhelmina didn't seem to understand what I meant.
And she muttered, "Selim didn't say that…"
Scholar Selim.
I'll take away your position as this family's advisor and mentor first.
What do I need to do to achieve that?
Of course, I need to build rapport with Dihon, the patient and the key person.
And I already have a plan for that.
"Young Master Dihon probably enjoys listening to or reading interesting stories, right? Since he can't even leave his room freely, there wouldn't be many other forms of entertainment."
"That's right. Our Dihon loves to read books. And Scholar Selim always tells him interesting stories. Scholar Selim has read many books."
"Mother, can you give me some paper and a pen?"
I'll show you what a real interesting story is.
After all, I'm a winner of a novel contest in the 21st century, where all sorts of media are overflowing.
"The title is 'The Village of the Back Alley Nymph'. Perfect. Dihon, you little brat, just wait. I'll show you what a real interesting story is."
I received the paper and pen and completed a masterpiece of 50,000 characters in two hours.