Luke, recalling the large-scale resurrection, gathered the corpses one by one into a single location.
Once he had collected them all, the scene resembled a display of deceased persons, making it an unpleasant sight. However, Luke smiled with apparent satisfaction.
In fact, a body was not strictly necessary for a resurrection. What was essential was that the soul of the target had been unjustly sacrificed, and whether the soul still held any attachment to the world of the living.
Thus, the missing bodies would be reconstructed.
Although it was known that this process was not easy with magic—indeed, it was impossible—wasn’t the occurrence of such impossibilities what constituted a miracle?
However, Luke thought that such a scale of resurrection would undoubtedly require immense divine power, so it seemed necessary to gather the corpses to minimize the consumption of that divine energy.
To an outsider, this might seem questionable, but given that this place was remote enough for a lich to hide such a force, there was certainly no one approaching.
If this were a frequent patrol route for the Forest Keepers, Seyeo would have long since sought another location or been captured.
Alternatively, one could argue that the Forest Keepers might be in league with him…
Luke decided to temporarily set that thought aside. He did not want to believe without clear evidence that the Forest Keepers had become so corrupt.
Although they belonged to different factions, even considering that idea felt like an insult to Yerna.
Moreover, it was somewhat bothersome, but there were also good people like Sanson around.
“I just need to drop a hint to Yerna later.”
Then, the matters involving the Forest Keepers would be addressed by her. She had a strong voice among them.
And for now, resolving the immediate issues in front of him was the priority.
“Liv, stay a bit away from the lich.”
“…….”
Though the recent struggle to move the corpse of the lich had turned into a fruitless effort, Liv nodded without complaint and picked up the sarcophagus containing the lich to relocate it.
Even if a preservative had been applied to the lich’s body to prevent divine energy from affecting it, a makeshift sarcophagus woven together with ‘Earth Wall’ wouldn’t withstand the immense divine power projected during the resurrection process.
While Luke, as a mage, did not understand the exact principles of how priests used divine power and miracles, considering the church’s preference to collect the severed body parts of victims hinted that there was likely a significant difference.
It seemed Renie had implied something similar in the past…
However, divine power was not simply a resource with the same properties as mana; it could manifest even in spaces devoid of divine energy.
It was undoubtedly an inconsistent force.
Luke shook his head, recalling Renie’s antics as she wandered about. In terms of going everywhere without a care, she certainly had that characteristic.
Is that why she was used as a saint?
Perhaps, she and the goddess were quite a match, being ‘Ere.’
“Does it even matter now?”
What was important was that he currently had a tool in his hands and the qualifications and strength to use it.
The only issue was that he did not know exactly how to use that tool and power.
“Still, I feel like I could manage if I dug through my memories…”
However, the memories regarding divine power felt vaguely unclear, as if shrouded in fog. His senses were dulled, as if submerged in water.
“Hmm, is there no hint this time?”
He had previously gained considerable benefits using ‘memories,’ so finding himself without that assistance was somewhat frustrating.
Well, the world had to forget everything about the goddess, so it was strange that he was the one remembering it.
Still, it seemed there wouldn’t be any significant problems.
Whether using miracles by exploiting fanatical beliefs or manipulating reality with powerful will, in a broad sense, it was all just one form of technique, wasn’t it?
Luke had been inspired by that aspect before, considering the fusion of magic and divine power several times in the past.
The results hadn’t been very favorable back then.
“Back then, believing in oneself was significantly stronger than believing in a god.”
Then, would it not be different now that a god resided within him?
If he was both the god and the saint, wouldn’t faith in himself also be a form of faith?
It was a hypothesis, but it was quite an interesting perspective for Luke.
Having confirmed that Liv had vanished from sight while dragging the lich, Luke then drew a key and split the air.
Upon opening the doorway to Arinseia, Luke left the door ajar and began to release divine energy into the atmosphere.
Standing with his eyes closed, he gradually sensed the divine energy flowing into the forest and nodded.
“Good. It seems I’m prepared.”
However, he still did not open his eyes.
Now that he was handling divine energy, magic sight would only be a hindrance. Therefore, Luke had to rely solely on his senses.
Typically, those two possessed properties that were diametrically opposed. Having always sensed only magic, Luke was unfamiliar with the sensitivity of divine energy.
It was quite bothersome to have a body that could sense both magic and divine power at the same time.
Luke slowly began to manipulate the divine energy that had filled his surroundings.
With a bit of focus, he found that moving the divine energy was somehow possible.
Could it be that his body remembered?
Contrary to his concerns, it wasn’t that difficult.
The nails and hammer were already prepared, and he confirmed he had hands to wield the hammer and the strength to lift it.
So now, all he needed to do was bring it down.
Luke no longer hesitated.
-…….
An alien resonance, one that couldn’t be expressed with human eloquence, began to dominate the Rienne forest.
——–
As the divine energy that had filled the forest dissipated completely, and the colossal, unknown resonance that had been echoing gradually faded,
Luke found himself barely keeping his legs on the ground, overwhelmed by a strong sense of detachment.
Breathing was difficult, his back stung, and the breezes that touched his legs and arms felt excessively cold.
Moreover, his entire body felt constricted to the point of being suffocating.
His waist felt tightly bound, and his chest was so constricted that it felt hard to breathe.
“Did it… work?”
Was a miracle meant to be this exhausting and suffocating?
Considering that Renie must have experienced this frustration as well, Luke began to reassess his view of her.
How could someone with her temperament endure such sensations so calmly?
“Renie, you turned out to be quite the saint after all…”
Was it true that she had suppressed her own personality to perform miracles this way?
He had always thought of her as a childlike woman, but she had seemed to be the most serious saint regarding her duties.
After trembling for a while, Luke finally drew a deep breath and opened his eyes.
What met his gaze was a bright, sunlit forest, and people starting to move one by one.
However, although they had resurrected through a miracle, resurrection was not a miracle that ensured they would be brought back in complete clothing. Many were naked, lacking even filthy rags.
If someone were to witness them, they might think it was a gathering of lunatics, but still, it was a much more preferable outcome than death.
It was a truly hopeful result.
“It worked!”
Luke could not hide his joy.
To bring the dead back to life—it was truly incredible.
To possess the power to revive someone so readily was astonishing!
Perhaps it was easier to resurrect them than expected because they were souls sacrificed through black magic rather than ordinary deaths.
After all, black magic and divine power are opposite forces.
Usually, a person killed by dark magic cannot be easily revived, but that could be overcome if the authority and rank of a priest were higher than that of a dark sorcerer who employed black magic.
Yet here he was, with divine fragments embedded within his being, exceeding even that of a cardinal.
There had been no way for him to lack authority compared to a lich.
Moreover, the value associated with divine power differed from that of dark magic.
In black magic, which predicates loss, immortal lives are not assigned worth. In contrast, divine power assigns significant value even to immortal lives.
With infinite worth and authority on his side, performing this level of miracle was easily achievable.
“So, now I’ve acquired a means to rectify any mistakes I might make in the future?”
Luke had been deeply concerned that he could not return the dead, given how fragile human life was.
Humans were inherently weak beings.
One wrong move, and they could die from just a first-circle spell, couldn’t they?
However, if resurrection was possible, the narrative would change completely.
If spilled water could be returned, spilling it would no longer be a mistake.
It was akin to gaining the power to go back in time.
As Luke proudly watched this development, Liv suddenly started darting toward him from the edge of the forest.
Was she coming to congratulate him?
Luke greeted Liv enthusiastically and shouted, “Liv! Look! I’ve succeeded!”
“……!”
“Hmm? Why do you look like that?”
Nevertheless, Liv just kept flailing as if she had something to say.
Why was Liv acting this way? Observing closely, Luke soon realized something was amiss.
“Wait, Liv. Don’t you seem smaller?”
“……!”
Liv floundered again.
“No, wait a moment. Not only that, but it seems like your view is considerably higher now.”
Once he became aware of the oddity, more strange details caught his eye.
Luke finally comprehended what Liv’s actions meant and reflected on his own body.
As he did, his gaze encountered his shrunken uniform and the unfamiliar wings sprouting from his back, causing him to gasp.
Wings? Wings, really?
His tail was also significantly thicker and longer than before.
Moreover, his hair had grown longer, brushing against the sudden wings sprouting from his back.
Additionally, although Luke hadn’t checked, the ears above his head had elongated to resemble those of a rabbit, and where he previously had one horn, now there were two, larger horns, along with a halo symbolizing divinity hovering above him.
He looked as if he had grown up overnight.
“What, what the heck is this??”
Luke realized that the bright light illuminating the forest had actually been emanating from his own body.
He sensed this light symbolized divine power as well.
It was an utterly incomprehensible situation.
While Luke was flailing in confusion, people were slowly regaining their senses, frowning and murmuring.
“What, what’s going on…?”
“Ugh, it’s blinding…”
“It’s too bright…!”
Having experienced something similar to being reborn, Luke could understand their reactions.
They likely felt stiff and sore as if awakening from a long slumber, their eyes unaccustomed to the light that was too bright.
At least, he wanted to commend them for being able to articulate their thoughts quickly.
He had spent considerable time trying to become aware of his own vocal cords.
Well, that was actually due to the time spent adjusting to his transformed body.
“Wait, who is that…?”
“Aren’t they glowing…?”
“Is that a person…? Is that a human?”
“It’s blinding! Someone, please put out that light!”
No, Luke had no time to analyze them so calmly.
“Light.”
Luke had not intended for people to see him in his form after resurrection, so he began to project an even brighter light.
Though he had just figured out how to use it, he was still unfamiliar with divine power, so he didn’t know how to extinguish the light.
“Argh!”
“My eyes!”
“It’s too bright!!”
“Ugh! Please put out the light!!”
The people hit by the intense flash began to stagger, clutching their eyes.
Their vision might suffer a bit, but they wouldn’t be completely blinded.
“Liv! Let’s hurry and get out of here!”
With no time to gather his thoughts, Luke hurriedly grabbed Liv, the bag, and the sarcophagus, using Fly to escape.
Unlicensed use of magic was illegal, but he couldn’t afford to be concerned with such details now.
