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

Florence was a large city.
The public square was filled with nearly a thousand people.
I could feel their eyes turning towards me in an instant.
The same went for Archbishop Coram Deo, with his plump figure and thick beard.
He looked at me with a slightly tired face, resting his chin on his hand on the podium, and asked,
"Who are you?"
"I am the wooden plaque monk Hyde! And I believe the death sentence for the defendant, Lady Milione Archibald, is utterly unjust!"
My voice was filled with confidence.
My name and my will must have echoed throughout every corner of this vast square.
"A wooden plaque monk, you say?"
"A mere nobody dares to object to Archbishop Coram Deo's judgment?"
Murmur, murmur-
People began to whisper at my sudden interruption. Their words washed over us like a surging wave, and Coram Deo asked,
"Monk Hyde, it sounds like you're saying you'll take charge of Lady Milione Archibald's defense. Am I mistaken?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying! Your Eminence Coram Deo, I firmly believe that this verdict is a mistake on the part of the court!"
I naturally walked towards the court through the path created by the crowd. Milione was still held captive by the soldiers, looking like a subdued beast.
"Hey! Hyde! What the hell are you blabbering about! Yeah, kill me! Death sentence or whatever, do it! I didn't want to live anyway!"
Milione was furious.
She seemed somewhat resigned.
Well, she had just been abandoned by her parents.
Having been abandoned by my parents at birth, I couldn't fully comprehend the feelings of a woman who had been told, "I don't have a daughter like you" in the middle of her life.
But it seemed Milione had given up on everything in many ways.
She's still a crazy bitch, as always.
"Kill me─! Kill meeee─!"
"Oh dear, she's out of her mind."
"If you're going to go crazy, at least do it gracefully."
People frowned at her outburst. Being beautiful amplifies all emotions, after all.
I picked up a pebble that was lying on the ground, leaving Milione beside me. Archbishop Coram Deo narrowed his eyes at me.
"Why are you picking up a stone? Surely you're not going to tell that cliché story about only those without sin casting stones at Milione? How many lawyers have used that tired argument before?"
What's wrong with saying only those without sin should cast stones?
I think it's a statement that hits the nail on the head.
We are all sinners.
However, Coram Deo's point was valid this time.
"Let's assume I throw this pebble at Your Eminence. If this stone hits your flat forehead and cracks your head open, whose fault would it be?"
Twitch-
Coram Deo's forehead twitched.
He stroked his meticulously groomed beard and looked down at me coldly from his high podium.
His gaze seemed to warn, "How dare a nobody like you speak of my death?"
So what? What are you going to do about it?
Everyone dies.
With that thought in mind, I opened my mouth wide again and shouted to the crowd,
"Honorable Judge! I believe that if you were to be struck by a stone and die, you would wisely determine the right and wrong of the situation!"
"Of course."
"Then, wouldn't the greatest fault in that situation lie with you, the Judge, for failing to dodge the stone? Wouldn't you be the one who should be found guilty?"

"You're talking nonsense. In this case, wouldn't the fault lie entirely with you for throwing the stone? Why should I, the one who was hit, be found guilty? Your logic is flawed!"
"Exactly! Then, how much fault lies with this pebble? It wasn't actually me who struck your head and killed you, but this pebble, wasn't it?"
I showed the pebble to everyone.
People started to laugh, as if they were dumbfounded.
"What an idiot."
"What did the pebble do wrong?"
"Typical wooden plaque monk."
"Looks like he wanted to gain some fame in front of a crowd, but he's failed miserably."
The public trial ground became noisy in an instant.
Only after Coram Deo slammed his fist on the table, Bang, bang, bang-, did it become quiet.
Coram Deo then said,
"What sin could a thrown pebble possibly have?"
"That's exactly my point. In this Grand Cathedral arson case, Lady Milione Archibald was this pebble. A pebble thrown by that man called Lust!"
"What?"
"Your Eminence, why would you sentence an innocent pebble to death? To condemn an innocent person to death is murder! Can you bear the weight of that sin?"
Murder.
Innocence.
Death sentence.
Every word was enough to pique the interest of the crowd. In situations like this, the stronger the words, the greater their impact.
The jury members exchanged glances at my words. Their expressions were a mixture of intrigue and bewilderment, which was a good sign for me.
"Do you have any evidence?"
Someone spoke to me then.
He was a knight in a yellow cloak with a wide-brimmed hat.
It was Parmas of the Holy Knights, wearing a gold cross around his neck.
"Lady Milione's penchant for causing trouble is well-known in Florence. Couldn't this incident be another one of her whimsical acts? Do you have any evidence that Lust controlled Milione?"
"Not at the moment."
"Hmph-."
Parmas scoffed, as if saying, "I knew it."
I seized the opportunity and shouted,
"But I can obtain evidence! Give me four days! If you give me just four days, I'll bring that man, Lust, the true culprit, to the stand!"
"Oh?"
Archbishop Coram Deo's expression shifted strangely.
He rose from his seat with his heavy body and slowly walked towards me, stopping in front of me.
"How do you propose to bring that dreadful Lust to the stand?"
"Because Lust is after me! Because I'm the only righteous person in the world who can handle him! Because I'm so amazing!"
It wasn't a lie.
I, Hyde, was the only one who could stop Lust.
I shouted to the crowd,
"The Crescent Moon Sisterhood's headquarters! The Agarphe territory! Baron Voltaire's wedding! And even the Grand Cathedral! Lust has appeared everywhere I've gone! This is proof that he's after me!"
My claim was a double-edged sword.
Those who were quick-witted might deduce, "Lust and Hyde's movements overlap. Lust is a man of unknown identity. Could Hyde be Lust?"
Sir Parmas slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Hyde! Are you Lust?"
See?
That was actually my intention.
His accusation was a huge advantage for me.
Parmas, just like his disciple Selim, was a man who couldn't think outside the box.
"Shall I show you proof that I'm not Lust? Read the novel I wrote, "The Village of the Back Alley Nymph"! Could someone as evil as Lust write such an innocent story?"
I submitted my novel as evidence to the court.
The crowd began to murmur.
"What's going to happen to Lady Milione Archibald's death sentence? Why are we suddenly talking about a novel?"
"I don't know."
"But he says he can bring Lust to the stand. Could it be true?"
Flip, flip-
Archbishop Coram Deo, Parmas, and the jury members started reading my novel. They would soon realize my greatness.
After about 10 minutes, Archbishop Coram Deo asked Parmas,
"Jury member. Sir Parmas, please present your findings on the relationship between the evidence you just read and Lust!"
""The Village of the Back Alley Nymph" is a very childish and deceitful story. Lust is a wordsmith with a sophisticated vocabulary. Hyde and Lust are not the same person."
Childish and deceitful?
This son of a bitch.
It was good to have a gold plaque knight officially declare that Lust and Hyde were different people, but I was still angry.
Just you wait, you bastard.
Archbishop Coram Deo then asked me,
"Can you really bring Lust to the stand?"
"There are several conditions, Your Eminence. But think about it. Not only will you be saving Lady Archibald's innocent life, but you might also have the opportunity to capture the heinous criminal Lust."
"The shackles on your wrists and ankles suit you very well."
I looked at Lady Milione Archibald, who was imprisoned in a temporary cell. Her hands and feet were bound with sturdy iron shackles, which was a pleasant sight.
She looks so pretty when she's quiet like this.
However, Lady Milione Archibald was furious.
"Hyde, you did something unnecessary! When did I ever ask you to defend me?"
"You didn't."
"Then why did you do it! I could have survived somehow even if you hadn't helped me!"
That was true.
Lady Milione Archibald wouldn't have died even if I hadn't saved her. She would have been able to save herself.
She would have ripped apart the guards, impaled the soldiers with her bare hands, and escaped.
But that would have been the end of Lady Milione Archibald.
On that day, Milione would disappear, and only Wrath would remain.
"Milione, I will save you."
Living with Milione, I had felt and planned many things. But it had been frustrating because it was like walking through a thick fog, unable to see clearly.
But now, it felt like the moment when the things I had been envisioning were becoming clear, and it felt good.
I will save Milione.
Not the Deadly Sin Wrath.
If I could save Lady Milione Archibald, who still retained some semblance of goodness, and reform and move her, there would be no need for 'Wrath'.
That would be like capturing and defeating one of the most troublesome Deadly Sins in the future.
No one in history would have achieved such a feat.
I'm a genius, after all!
Of course, that wasn't my only thought.
"Milione, the death penalty is excessive for your crime. I think there might be a political reason behind it. In fact, this punishment is aimed at Archbishop Archibald, not you."
I realized it today.
The relationship between the Six Knights' Parmas, Gold Plaque Archbishop Coram Deo, and Archibald was not good. It was probably because Archbishop Archibald had so many enemies.
Milione burst into laughter, "Puhahaha-."
"Do you think our old man would bat an eye if I died? No, he's not that kind of man. You all don't know anything. So, what's the old man doing?"
"I don't know. I'm planning to go see him now."
"Then tell him this."
Milione raised her middle finger at me.