บท 16: The Lord is my Savior

"Yo…is that what I think it is?"

"Pretty sure it can't be anything else."

"Under our nose? I can't believe it…the nerve of these scoundrels." Following Cassandra's series of orgasmic squeals, the crowd buzzed with gossip and whispers. No one could see Mithras' hand and beads at work. But with the fluid on his fingers and Cassandra's own moans, it didn't take a genius to realize what was going on.

"Forget it. This generation is hopeless. I just feel bad for Lord Luther," having engaged in their fair share of illicit and depraved activities over the course of centuries, the more experienced nobles easily saw through the trick. But though they felt bad for Luther, in the Spiritual World, power had the final say.

And in a house where the strongest elder noble was just at the 12th level of Inner Accumulation, Cassandra's authority had no rival.

Confused and disgraced, Duke Luther forgot this little fact. Blood got to his head, and he lunged forth, rushing towards Mithras.

It's not like Luther had been a loyal and faithful husband either. In the years that Cassandra depended on him, the duke didn't hesitate to play with her closest attendant and even had a bastard: Arian's half-brother, Ulric.

To prevent a scandal, Luther took the servant as his concubine, thereby enabling Ulric to bear the Astalon name. But as far as the duke was concerned, there was nothing wrong with his actions. He was the lord of this house—in control of all that relied on its resources.

Wasn't the lord supposed to enjoy and the others to suck it up? Wasn't that how things were supposed to be? So why did Cassandra surpass him out of the blue? Turning him into a figurehead and putting him through one humiliation after the other?

Now she even dared to play with her boytoy in his face? In broad daylight!

It had to stop!

"Die!" Driven mad by shame and rage, Duke Luther swept his greatsword upward, aiming for Mithras' neck.

However, when the youth looked him dead in the eyes, for reasons he couldn't comprehend, Luther stopped—his body refusing to move an inch further. The greatsword stayed at Mithras' neck, yet Luther couldn't find the strength to press forward and behead the demon that had robbed his wife under his nose.

He wasn't the only one. Man or woman, all felt an invisible pressure drop on their shoulders—preventing them from moving an inch.

It couldn't be helped. Though Mithras now wore amber lenses to hide his dragon eyes, their powers remained—growing alongside his Sid level.

Dragons were the children of the Beast, existing to dominate the Weaver's creation. Before the eyes of a saint-class dragon, ordinary templars such as Luther couldn't resist—at least not without unique abilities or a drastically superior Sid level.

The paralysis only lasted three seconds. But that was more than enough for Mithras to kill the duke if he wanted to.

He didn't—instead taking the sword out of Luther's hand and storing it in his spatial ring.

"Hum! Hum! Since you're now my father in the eyes of the faith, I will act as if nothing happened. My godmother is sick and needs to rest. Godfather, please excuse us," Mithras said with a cheerful laugh, and after giving Luther a friendly tap, pulled Cassandra by the waist, leaving Luther and the other Astalon nobles behind.

Meanwhile, the system processed the rewards—adding two first-class Item Cards to Mithras' reserves.

The Ero Points also received a hefty boost. Now sitting at 214,900.

---

"A ghost!"

"Was he not dead?"

"Of course he was! We watched his body go cold after bleeding to death from over 100 knife cuts! This is a ghost! A ghost!"

"House Astalon is using witchcraft! Necromancy!"

The moment that Mithras brought Cassandra to her courtyard, a gathering of over 100 servants greeted them, all shaking in terror at Mithras' appearance.

By then, Cassandra had regained her senses, sweeping the servants with a mix of fear and killing intent.

These were serious accusations. Mithras' rebirth was no doubt suspicious. But having regained her beloved and surrendered to his meat, Cassandra had stopped caring for the specifics. However, if the rumor spread that she used Necromancy to resurrect Mithras, the entire House Astalon was at risk of extermination.

Determined to prevent such rumors from reaching enemy ears, Cassandra gathered her Sid, about to slaughter the gathered slaves and servants when Mithras grabbed her wrist, stopping her with a disarming smile.

Mithras then stepped forward, clearing his throat before addressing the audience.

'Brothers and sisters, let me dispel these rumors once and for all. I didn't want to say it because it sounds crazy at best, but the truth is...I was saved by the Lord!

The Lord took pity on the men and women of House Astalon, thinking that without me to act a fool, you would all get bored to death! And can you blame him?

It is so boring around here! Just petty plots and backstabbing! What kind of shit life is this?

Without me, who would bring the clatter of music, the drumming of rhythm, and the rumble of party?

Without me, who would juggle with bandits, perform heroic plays, and breathe life into your dark hearts?

Without me, who would light up the night sky when the injustice of the world presses on your shoulders and makes you rage and sob at your helplessness?

I am the sun of your mornings, the star of your evenings and the garter that keeps you fastened to the pleasures of life!" Mithras said in a bold and cheerful tone, spreading his arms wide while the jaws of servants and slaves dropped in disbelief.

"You need me, so the Lord sent me back! Sent me back to stretch your lips with cheerful grins and your women's with...well let's not finish that one." Realizing that he was getting carried away, Mithras paused, clearing his throat before pressing onward.

"Hum, hum!

In any case, the Lord is my savior, praise be his name! In his heart I trust. To his mercy, I surrender! Say it with me now! Take the Lord into your hearts, and maybe in your time of need, he will appear to you as well and give you a second chance!" Mithras exclaimed with cheerful zeal and walked into the group, singing the Lord's praise in such rhythmic fashion that some of the servants and slaves actually started singing alongside him.

"The Lord is my savior, praise be his name!" Crowd effect was a wonderful drug. It only took a couple of servants and slaves for the rest to join the parade, singing and dancing alongside Mithras under the dumbfounded eyes of Cassandra.

Somewhere in the omniverse, a white-haired figure burst into laughter, holding its chest to catch its breath.

<Reward: Drum of Praise>

<Drum of Praise (Tyrant-class): Each time the host manages to light the spark of True Devotion in the hearts of a crowd, the drum will appear and beat on its own, converting them into the host's loyal followers.

But if the day comes that the host loses faith in the Lord, the Drum will lose its powers as well>