While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly-Chapter 58: My Sensual Consort

The evil god is called "evil" because He bestows blessings and exacts tribute in equal measure.

He grants his Devotees power, and in return He claims something from their hands—often lives.

Even His own Devotees may be offered as sacrifices.

The next day,

the Riven town guard easily annihilated the Undead Legion.

The undead lacked intelligence; they simply massed against the walls, where the city defenders methodically dispatched them with standard fortifications.

The Kyle family felt no threat—in fact, their participation in the defense only bolstered their standing among the townsfolk.

So, on this day of victory, they held the official inauguration ceremony for the new Town Mayor.

Amid cheers celebrating both the triumph and the mayor’s ascension, Lirwin Kyle took the stage.

She retained her customary poise and grace, delivering an impromptu speech that ran a full half hour without repetition.

She recapped the town’s history, laid out her vision for the future—leaving the audience thoroughly convinced.

Her election had long since been decided; today’s address was simply a matter of ceremony.

Nobles hold ceremony sacred.

But Ashu could not attend to lend his presence.

Not only was he confined to the Church, he also had other matters to attend.

The ten Devotees of the God of Deceit had now healed and awakened.

Before they lost consciousness, Ashu had branded them with Cidi’s mark and unleashed Cidi Hypnosis—transforming them into loyal Cidi Devotees.

On the surface, they appeared unchanged, but in their hearts they stood firmly with Cidi.

With that achieved, Ashu moved on to his next plan.

"Remember," he told them in the basement under the guise of interrogation, "you have joined Cidi’s embrace, but I need you to keep posing as Devotees of the God of Deceit. It’s time to test your old skills. I want you to lure in every remaining Devotee of the God of Deceit you can— the more, the more Cidi will favor you. Once you’ve brought in those thirtyseven, you can even venture to your homelands to recruit more."

At his words, the ten Devotees all nodded eagerly, "Yes, Bishop!"

Strengthening the Cidi faith would lighten Ashu’s own sentence—and at the same time weaken Vikrant’s support.

Vikrant had fled too quickly; after witnessing Ashu’s storm once, he would never dare set foot in the Church again.

So if Ashu wished to eliminate him, it would have to wait until he left this sanctuary and confronted him directly.

"Go," Ashu waved his hand, and the ten Devotees slipped away into the shadows. He followed them out of the basement.

At that moment, a sound drew his attention.

He stepped into the great hall of the Church and found a group of hopeful young townsfolk praying at the Divine Mother’s statue—the inauguration had ended, and they had come to offer their wishes.

Prayer was not reserved for suffering alone; one might pray before the Divine Mother for any joy or hopeful event worth celebrating.

The new Town Mayor’s inauguration complete, the townsfolk prayed that this mayor would serve them well.

Ashu cast a sweeping glance over the hall—this was the largest gathering he had ever seen, nearly filling half the Church.

As he prepared to lead the communal prayer, Anna slipped out from behind the curtains and whispered in his ear, "Two among them possess the spiritual perception talent. I’ll mark them with Magical Essence so only you can see."

With the same unseen guidance they had used before, Ashu and Anna silently locked onto the two individuals.

"One has spiritual perception at rank three, the other at rank four," Anna murmured.

Though not the highest gifts, these levels met the average threshold. Unlike someone at rank one, these two could reliably set foot on the cultivator path.

Granted, Ashu’s unique foundational knowledge could launch even talentless novices into cultivation—but in truth, his rapid progress owed mostly to the system’s powerful returns. Without spiritual perception, one trains like a blind swordsman: groping in the dark.

Ashu didn’t expect a miracle "blind prodigy" to appear—those with spiritual perception were cultivators with eyes, far easier to nurture.

"They’ve gone unnoticed until now? Perfect. Stay here and serve as my Church Paladins," Ashu whispered.

With that, the "luminous saint" Bishop offered a benevolent smile and strode into the crowd, stopping before the two chosen.

Any worshiper of the Divine Mother Goddess naturally bowed deeply to her Bishop. Such an approachable gesture thrilled the crowd.

"Children," Ashu intoned in the solemn style of a theologian, "the Divine Mother Goddess has chosen you. She invites you to become Her Paladins. Will you accept?"

Both were young adults—perhaps slightly older than Ashu, who had only recently come of age—but as Bishop, he had every right to call them "children."

Surprised and honored, their smiles blossomed like flowers.

"Bishop, I would be honored—yes, I will serve as the Divine Mother Goddess’s Paladin!"

"I as well, Bishop!"

They were already devout followers; to step up into a role representing greater faith—and with a respectable stipend—was an offer none could refuse.

Their parents wept tears of joy, overjoyed at such glory. A child chosen by a Bishop—especially one of the fabled "luminous saint"—was the highest honor.

"If our children perform well, our families will be celebrated!" they exclaimed.

"Thank you, Bishop! Thank you for choosing my child!"

"Bishop, please look at my child—are they worthy?"

"Bishop, my child is strong and steadfast!"

Faced with a chaotic flurry of volunteers all trying to recommend themselves, Ashu gave a faint smile. He stepped out of the crowd, taking only the two chosen Paladin candidates with him.

Then he turned back to address the gathering. "Apologies, dear Parishioners—this is the will of the Divine Mother Goddess."

As a Bishop, no one dared question his words.

Only then did he begin to lead the group in the collective prayer ceremony.

Once the ritual concluded, Ashu brought the two young men to the back courtyard of the Church.

It was a fairly spacious area. In one corner to the left, freshly washed linens and garments hung drying—work done by the Nuns.

The rest of the open space was perfect for training.

"Listen carefully," Ashu began. "Although the Divine Mother Goddess has chosen you both, becoming a true Paladin requires rigorous training. Are you prepared to endure it?"

"We are!" the two answered in unison, voices firm.

"Good. Then let’s begin..."

Ashu proceeded to teach them the full, detailed foundational knowledge of a cultivator.

The level of one’s spiritual perception talent had a direct impact on how quickly and how far they could progress in cultivation.

The two of them were only one rank apart in their innate perception, and neither were particularly gifted—so their cultivation speeds were roughly the same.

Compared to Ashu’s own pace of advancement, of course, they were slow as molasses.

But among the general population, with access to this comprehensive foundational training, they’d progress at about ten percent faster than others with similar talent.

Ashu observed them silently. Even though their pace was slow, at the very least, they now belonged to the Church’s formal forces in the making.

Paladins were the official military arm of the Church.

Cidi Devotees, on the other hand, were his private mercenaries.

His plan was to build power on both fronts—legitimate and otherwise.

"Go ahead and cultivate, children. This will be your life’s work. Don’t trouble yourselves with anything else. The Church will pay you monthly wages, and your families will receive priority care and support. And if you’re worried about them, every Sunday after worship, you’ll be allowed one day to visit home."

That statement alone was a tremendous motivator for the two young men.

Just being chosen had already filled them with pride—enough to carry them for years.

Now, with such generous benefits on top of that, they committed themselves wholeheartedly to the path of cultivation.

Ashu gave a slight nod and stepped back, allowing them space to train.

He couldn’t afford to cultivate in their presence. With his current level of absorption, even a short meditation would drain the surrounding air of Magical Essence.

And without Magical Essence in the air, the two of them would have nothing to draw on—early cultivation depended entirely on manipulating ambient Essence. Their bodies had none of their own to use yet.

As he watched them from the sidelines, a long-silent system notification suddenly popped into his mind.

[Vivita Taan has earned: Divine Points +20]

[Critical Return! Vessel receives: Divine Points +260!]

"Hm? My sultry little mistress... no, no—Vivita’s finally started working?" Ashu thought to himself.

Even miles away, as long as she was bound to him, he would receive Critical Return rewards when Vivita hunted demons elsewhere.

So that last summons from headquarters... it hadn’t been a bluff. It was the real deal.

Judging by the amount of Divine Points she earned, the heresy in that demon-hunting zone was far more powerful than what they’d encountered in the Riven parish—nearly twice as strong.

And naturally, heresy of that magnitude would have a much deeper and more devastating impact on the local area.

[Vivita Taan has gained: Demon-Hunting Archery Proficiency +1]

[Critical Return! Vessel receives: Demon-Hunting Archery Proficiency +13!]

[Vivita Taan has gained: Demon-Hunting Bolt +1]

[Critical Return! Vessel receives: Demon Slayer Holy Crossbow +1!]

"More rewards?"

Ashu figured Vivita must have swapped out her weapon for something new over there.

And as a result of the system’s Critical Return, he’d been granted a Demon Slayer Holy Crossbow directly.

He quietly stepped into the shadows and retrieved the crossbow from the system inventory. The weapon had a sleek, obsidian-black body, while every edge and sharp angle shimmered with a bright silver finish.