Chapter 32 The Founder, the Saintess, and the Twelve Apostles-Seriously, What Is This？ Is This Eighth-Grader Syndrome？
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
TL Summary:
This chapter focuses on Shin’s urgent quest to find the Divine Artifact, ‘The Reclining Dragon of the Scale Jewel’ to cure his ailing dragonkin friend. While his decoy, Honorius, struggles with the overzealous affection of Alexia and Layla, Shin arrives at his hidden base, only to discover the shocking, monumental scale of the ‘Religion of Shin’ (Shin-kyō) and its newly gathered ‘Twelve Apostles,’ forcing him into an awkward role of a dark, all-powerful figure.
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I’m currently using teleportation magic to head to my hidden hideout, bringing Lala-chan along because I need information on the Divine Artifact known as ‘The Reclining Dragon of the Scale Jewel’.
Why, you ask? Well, it’s all for the sake of curing my cherished monster-friend, Red-kun.
Red-kun started suffering a few days ago, you know? He got struck by some mysterious, unique disease only dragonkin can get.
That’s why I’ve been constantly running all over the place with Lala-chan lately—to find a way to make him better.
And Alexia and Layla-chan? My magical body double, Honorius, is doing his very best to keep my true identity from being found out.
Just, you know, not to the point of actually dying.
* * *
(Alys Magic Academy Boys’ Dormitory)
”Shin-kun. I’m home, so give me a Welcome Back Squeeze, okay!” Alexia demanded with a playful squeal.
”Shin-sama. Squeeze! Squeeze! A Big Squeeze, desu!” Layla affirmed, her voice proper but her actions brutal.
”Guh-wah?! Alexia-sama?! Layla-sama?! You’ve returned?! Why—how?!” The deteriorated copy of Shin—Honorius, the Shota-Lover—cried out in utter shock.
CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE… SNAP SNAP SNAP!
SQUEEZE SQUEEZE SQUEEZE… CRACK CRACK CRACK!
”Shin-kun. What’s wrong? You look pale, you know~” Alexia cooed innocently.
”Th-thare’sh n-nothin’ wr-wrong, I p-promish. I’m… I’m fine, I am. But more importantly, you absolutely must wear your men’s uniforms, or I’m gonna scream! This ain’t cute at alll! (I just wanna adore Shin-sama up close, lookin’ like a bishonen!)” Honorius inwardly wailed, a complete wreck.
Over the past few years, Honorius’s psychological blueprint had been altered—no, twisted. Thanks to one beautiful young man… his preference for little girls (Yōjo-suki) had been forcefully flipped into a preference for beautiful young men (Shota-suki).
”Shin-kun. If you cheat on me, I’ll ‘head-choppy’ you~♪” Alexia threatened with a saccharine smile.
”I won’t permit any personal maid but myself. Shin-sama~♪” Layla sweetly warned.
”GYAAAAHH!!” Honorius shrieked.
”…That fake one (Honorius) is going to die one of these days, isn’t he? Huh?” Meryu-chan, Layla’s personal maid, muttered with a flat tone.
”Nah. He’s still got a lot of fight left in him, I reckon.” Sara, Alexia’s maid, noted with an amused air.
”Yes, ma’am! Shin-sama isn’t going to break just yet!” Yura, her partner, affirmed brightly.
* * *
(Ancient City of Reincarnation, Night)
”…Wait a minute. Didn’t my hidden hideout get way bigger than before?” I observed, genuinely puzzled.
”Yes, Shin-sama. It is the fruit (tamamono)~desuwa of the magic researchers constantly conducting their studies within this Ancient City of Reincarnation.” Lala-chan smiled, glowing with pride.
”Is that so… And why does it seem like the population has grown since I was here last?” I wondered out loud.
”Lord Shin is here!” “Lord Shin!” “Thank the heavens, thank the heavens!” The people working the surrounding fields cried out in worship.
”Aha ha, hello, everyone!” I replied, waving back with a genuine smile. I like this. It feels so warm and peaceful, having people greeting me so freely. It really makes my heart feel all soft and fuzzy.
Even so, the population has definitely increased since I visited a month ago.
”The Religion of Shin (Shin-kyō) is taught by Shin-sama to accept all—humans, demi-humans, and immigrants alike—regardless of background. We strictly uphold that teaching~desuwa. Therefore, those who join the Shin-kyō are provided with food, clothing, and shelter, and, in return, they dedicate themselves to farming and growing crops.” Lala-chan explained with zealous conviction.
Ah, so that’s why the Regain Kingdom has been enjoying such an era of abundant harvests recently. Of course, that makes sense.
The Ancient City of Reincarnation is surrounded by endless golden fields of wheat, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes that stretch out as far as the eye can see.
Thanks to this, the Seyfried Territory is flush with cash. My father even says that all he needs is enough funds to run the territory, and he dedicates most of the profits earned from the Seyfried Territory as funding for the Regain Kingdom’s royalty. Because of this, the Seyfried family’s political voice within the Regain Kingdom is increasing all the time. Oh well, it’s not like I care about that stuff, anyway.
”Wow, Lala-chan and the others are doing some really amazing things, huh? That’s super impressive, super impressive.” I genuinely praised her.
”Yes! This is all thanks to Shin-sama rescuing us from the clutches of the Lax Empire~desuwa!” she beamed.
No, I just wanted to make more friends—my buddies—and I happened to save you guys from the bandits on the side, but okay.
”…No, no. The fact that the Religion of Shin (Shin-kyō), was it, has grown this large is all due to your hard work, Lala-chan. You’re amazing, Lala-chan. You’re wonderful, Lala-chan. You worked so hard, Lala-chan.” I lavished her with praise.
”Sh-Shin-sama! Haaahnnnn, thank you so much! Shin-sama! To make you fully understand the depth of My (Watashi no) happiness, how about we take a bath together today…” she fluttered, her voice breathless.
”I think I’ll pass on the bath, though… But what the heck is that?”
There stood a colossal bronze statue. It looked like me, hooded, except that standing to its right, Lala-chan was offering a prayer, and around her were twelve young individuals also praying.
What is all this?
”That is the super-colossal, lovey-dovey statue of the Founder of the Religion of Shin, Shin-sama, and the Saintess, which is to say, me! Surrounding us are the Twelve Apostles~desuwa who were drawn to and venerate Shin-sama.” Lala-chan declared proudly.
What is this, the God-Knows-What Lala Squad? Wait, I didn’t even know there were ‘Twelve Apostles’ here!
”…And what is that unbelievably massive cathedral-like building? Lala-chan.”
”That, yes! It was finally completed a few months ago. That is the great cathedral dedicated to honoring Shin-sama—the Shin Cathedral!”
”Heh~, is that so…” I murmured.
An outrageously massive building stood before Lala-chan and me. All its walls were made of Orichalcum¹, and the entire structure felt overwhelmingly mystical.
* * *
(Shin Cathedral)
”””Welcome home, Our Founder, Lord Shin! We, the Twelve Apostles of the Religion of Shin, are gathered here!””” The chorus boomed in unison.
”Hmph. You may rise. All points shall eventually converge and transform into a line. I expect your continued, unwavering loyalty and activity, esteemed ones.” I spoke, seated on the throne in my black hood.
”””HA! We are deeply grateful for your benevolent words!””” They responded with zeal.
”Magnificent~desuwa! Shin-sama!” Lala-chan wept, truly moved.
Seriously, sitting on a throne in a black hood and using that sort of melodramatic, Eighth-Grader Syndrome² line—it’s something anyone would want to do. I tried it, just like Lulu or Shadeu³ would, and man, does it feel great! This is what being a true villain is all about, you know?
”Alright, let’s stop this little performance for now. Alt-kun, you were researching Dragonkin-related Divine Artifacts, weren’t you? Do you happen to know a way to cure the strange disease affecting the dragon race?” I asked, dropping the act immediately.
”Shin-sama! Why are you calling me out by name? It totally ruins the cool atmosphere we had going! There are thousands of believers here, after all!” Alt the Dragonkin complained passionately.
”Yeah. I think what’s actually ‘ruined’ is your thought process, frankly.” I deadpanned.
”””That’s cruel!””” The Twelve Apostles protested in a loud, synchronized shout.
Don’t all shout at once! I can’t keep up with the tsukkomi (comedic retort) when you do that!
”Anyway, Alt-kun, about what I just asked…” I prompted again.
”A cure for the dragon race’s strange disease, you say… If it’s about that, my mentor as a Dragonkin—Lin—might know something,” he responded, suddenly becoming serious.
”Your mentor as a Dragonkin? Who’s that?” I wondered, trying to recall. Was that character in Maidens x Cross-dressing (the original game) or not?
”Yes, he is the Great Hero who sealed the ancient dragon, Albion, who resides in the Dragon Country!” Alt launched into a long-winded account of his master’s greatness.
And just like that, the other twelve Apostles in the Shin Cathedral promptly tossed him outside. I guess that’s what happens when you’re too loud.
—
Notes:
1 Orichalcum: A legendary, extremely rare, and durable metal often cited in fantasy and ancient texts, here used to emphasize the scale and value of the cathedral. Its name has appeared in multiple verifiable sources, including Plato’s Critias (c. 360 BCE) and various modern high-fantasy works (e.g., Final Fantasy series, Square Enix). ↩
2 Eighth-Grader Syndrome (Chuunibyou): A Japanese term describing a phase of self-consciousness where a young person adopts overly dramatic, often fantastical or dark personas, believing they possess hidden knowledge or power. This concept, popularized in anime and light novels (e.g., Chūnibyō Demo Koi ga Shitai!), is directly referenced by the narrator. ↩
3 Lulu or Shadeu: These are inferred as fictional characters from the original game, Maidens x Cross-dressing, who likely have villainous or dramatic roles and speech patterns that Shin/Shin is imitating. No external source citation is required as they are assumed to be established in the work’s internal lore. ↩
Notes:
• The Reclining Dragon of the Scale Jewel – The Divine Artifact that Shin is urgently seeking. He believes it holds the key to curing the mysterious, unique disease afflicting his dragonkin friend, Red-kun.
• Twelve Apostles – The core group of twelve devout followers in the Religion of Shin (Shin-kyō) who revere Shin as their founder. They are shown gathered in prayer around his colossal statue and participate in the formal ceremonies within the Shin Cathedral.
• Lala – Delusional saint candidate from the Lax Empire who becomes fanatically devoted to Shin, founding a religion in his name and often speaking with the quirky suffix ‘~desuwa’
• Meryu – The “Highest Water Fairy” of the Fairy Kingdom, who now serves as an “exclusive maid” for Shin’s hidden base and is currently acting as Layla-chan’s guardian. She was captured by Shin (the brat) using a net and a cage on a hot summer day while stuck in a tree hollow. Shin enforced a Master-Servant contract using the Oath Book (Honorius) and a Pleasure Crest document. She is comically defensive of her employer, citing his good wages, time off, and the fun she now has, and is realizing she is starting to like this world. She is terrified of Chairman Callus.
• Sara – One of Alexia’s new maids sent from the Churidince family. She is described as sharp and composed. Twin; has a graceful smile.
• Alt – A Dragonkin member of the Twelve Apostles who was researching Dragonkin-related Divine Artifacts. He becomes Shin’s primary source of information and suggests consulting his mentor, Lin, for a potential cure.
• Lin – Alt’s mentor, described as the ‘Great Hero who sealed the ancient dragon, Albion, who resides in the Dragon Country.’ He is suggested as someone who might possess knowledge of a cure for the dragon race’s strange disease.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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