Chapter 15

Without air, 3 minutes.


Without warmth, 3 hours.


Without water, 3 days.


Without food, 3 weeks.

These are the conditions necessary for the fragile human body to function.


Whether it’s a hero, a saint, a knight, or a mage, at their core, they are all human.


They cannot escape the 3333 rule. Without food, they cannot advance; without water, they wither. Even if the wind is cold or the sun scorching, they cannot perform at their best.

“*Huff… huff… Isn’t anyone else hot?*”

Even the saint, Araidel, was no exception. No matter how much she strengthened herself with divine power, walking under the blazing sun on sinking sand made her feel like she was dying.

The desert has never been a terrain suited for humans, or any living creature, for that matter. That’s why the Hero Party is crossing this Sandear Desert—a place even the demon race avoids.

It’s just a vast expanse of sand with nowhere to hide. Standing still, you can see the horizon clearly. Ambushes? Forget about it. Hiding in the sand would just cook you alive before you could even attack.

Of course, this also means the Hero Party has nowhere to hide, but given their current abilities, it would take an absurdly large army to surround and exhaust them. Any commander who would march such a massive force into this desert would have to be an idiot.

“*Aren’t you tired? Your stamina is really impressive…*”

Araidel couldn’t help but marvel.


Yurinel Larkponsia, the hero, and Lucia Western, the knight, were one thing. They must have trained rigorously, building their stamina like it was second nature. It wasn’t unreasonable for them to have far superior stamina compared to her.

“*Ms. Parnell, you’re even smaller than me, yet you’re walking without breaking a sweat. I should learn from you.*”


“*Ah, well… I’m just used to it.*”


“*As expected of the heroes who will save the world! Right, as the saint, I can’t afford to tire here! I’ll do my best!*”

Parnell’s expression turned strange. The truth was, her secret wasn’t her stamina but a single feather tucked deep in her pocket—one of the items Kyle left behind before departing. It was said to be a feather from the Bluebird.

Like the candles in the sanctuary, this too was a miracle, but people rarely think of the things around them as rare. Parnell didn’t think much of the feather either.

But it seemed even the saint couldn’t replace the feather. Subtly, she tucked it deeper into her pocket. Losing it would be a disaster.

Kyle had prayed to the gods only three times in his life, and each time, the gods granted him a miracle.

When everyone was on the verge of drowning due to the schemes of the Sea Demon King, Grozam, the gods answered his prayer and bestowed the Bluebird’s feather.

When he felt he wasn’t contributing enough to the party and wished for a way to fill that gap, the gods granted him the Observatory of Star’s Dream, allowing him to take on more roles.

And his final prayer wasn’t for the Hero Party but for a single girl, resulting in the Phylogenetic Seedling. Though the gods granted him other miracles, these were the only three he actively requested.

The Bluebird’s feather.


Happiness will always be by your side.


No hardship shall invade.

Even at the depths of the ocean, you won’t be crushed by pressure and can breathe freely.


The scorching heat of lava fields won’t harm you, nor will the freezing cold of icy plains, the poison of toxic swamps, or the demonic energy of the abyss.


Not even radiation zones can breach the protection of the Bluebird’s feather.

The desert feels as comfortable as your living room, and the scorching winds feel like a cool breeze.

It was a shock to Parnell that this wasn’t normal. As much as she pitied the saint struggling to keep up, the desert wasn’t something you could overcome with sheer willpower.

“*Cardinal, aren’t you hot?*”


“*I am.*”

Cardinal Reinhaim, drenched in sweat with her priestly robes sticking to her body, replied.

“*But complaining won’t change anything. It’ll just dry out my mouth.*”


“*Do you even have emotions? Are you even human?*”


“*Talking like that will only make it hotter. But even I, and the saint, are reaching our limits. How about we take a short break?*”

Even someone as stoic as her had limits. After a silent exchange of glances, the group decided to rest for a while. Except for the two, no one else was sweating a drop.

“*Hey, Yurinel.*”

Whispering softly while fiddling with the Bluebird’s feather, Lucia Western spoke up.

“*Was it really the right decision to drive Kyle away?*”


“*It’s too late to question that now. We all agreed to it.*”

Yurinel Larkponsia replied with a stern expression. Thinking about it, there hadn’t been any major conflict between them and Kyle.

They had exiled him solely based on his abilities, but now it felt awkward. Still, they couldn’t blame the saint. She was genuinely doing her best to help them.

“*Maybe we should’ve kept him around a bit longer to see if we could work things out…*”


“*Don’t bring up the past. We don’t even know where he is or what he’s doing now.*”


“*That’s not why I’m saying this. This feather… it’s slowly being consumed.*”

Lucia showed the Bluebird’s feather, her expression serious.

“*It’s slightly smaller than before. Once it’s used up, it’ll disappear. We need to find a replacement soon.*”


“*If we’re talking replacements, there’s conditioning magic, but…*”

The mage Parnell interjected.

“*If it’s just me, I can sustain it for an hour or two, but for five people indefinitely? I won’t have any magic left for actual combat. Plus, it’s questionable if it’ll be as effective as this feather.*”

Miracles require the will of the gods to sustain. The one who acts as the apostle of the God of Hope is Kyle.

The blessing he left behind before departing is what powers the Bluebird’s feather, but since then, he hasn’t bestowed any more blessings upon the Hero Party.

Even as an apostle of the gods, unless he ascends after death, Kyle is still a human with a physical body. He has his limits, unlike the limitless God of Hope.

If he keeps giving blessings without restraint, the energy he expends will far exceed what he receives, leading to a swift ascension.

He thought they’d do fine without him.


After all, they’re the heroes of this world.

So the priest decided to focus solely on the little girl before him. That’s why the sanctuary’s candles have gone out, and the spring’s waters have dried up.

Even with the Bluebird’s feather protecting them from the environment, the long march was exhausting in itself.


The three of them also felt the physical strain. If they wanted to swing their swords even once more in battle, it was best to rest when they could.

When Kyle was around, his emerald divine power would alleviate fatigue and push their bodies to their peak, allowing them to walk all day. But with Nemi’s divine power, it was impossible.

Even the saint, who possessed boundless divine power, was exhausted. No matter how great divine power is, it can only supplement physical stamina to a certain extent—it can’t fully replace it.

“*Huh? Was the spring always this small?*”


“*It’s shrinking because the blessings haven’t been renewed.*”

The oasis in the Sandear Desert, the Spring of Revival, wasn’t what it used to be.


It was still enough for the five of them to quench their thirst, but the clear spring’s size had noticeably diminished. Soon, it would dry up completely, meaning they’d have to abandon this route.

Or they could bring a lot more water.


Filling their dimensional storage to the brim, carrying as much as possible.

But even then, they couldn’t replace the Spring of Revival.


This water does more than you’d think.

“*Wow! This water tastes amazing!*”

The saint filled a bottle and took a sip, smiling happily. The sweet water quenched her thirst and seemed to wash away her fatigue in just a few sips.

It wasn’t just her imagination.


Energy returned to her exhausted body, and she felt like she’d sleep well tonight.


The sweat that had been pouring down lessened, and a coolness spread through her tired body. Despite the scorching sun, the spring water was cool and crystal clear, free of any dust.

The Spring of Revival is a miracle, and the water born from it is holy water.


It’s not just for restoring stamina—it’s highly effective against curses, healing wounds, and more. It’s a panacea, and this spring is the real deal.

“*Let’s fill some water. I need to wash up.*”


“*Should I do some laundry too? I didn’t sweat, but I feel sticky.*”


“*I should clean my sword.*”

Lucia scooped some water and spread it on her sword, muttering.

“*The blade’s gotten dull without me noticing.*”

Normally, washing a sword with water would just make it rust, but this was holy water. Simply washing it would extend the sword’s lifespan, sharpen the blade, and even grant a kind of blessing. It was like a miracle in liquid form.

*Splash!*

Parnell pulled out a large barrel, filled it with water, and dunked her clothes in. After a quick dip, she pulled them out, and they dried almost instantly, becoming fresh and clean as if they were new. The faint divine energy imbued in the clothes was a bonus.

“*This water is amazing. Is it holy water?*”

Cardinal Reinhaim could sense the presence of a great power emanating from the spring.

The power didn’t clash with her own divine energy but seamlessly blended with it, achieving its purpose without interference.

She tried infusing the water with her divine energy, but it was like pouring water into a bottomless pit. No matter how much divine energy she poured in, nothing changed.

Even if she poured enough divine energy to turn a small pond into holy water, this single bottle of water absorbed Nemi’s power endlessly without changing.

Whoever created this spring was of a higher order than the goddess Nemi.

Ordinary people might scoff at the idea of a being higher than the gods, but as a high-ranking member of the Church Country, she knew such beings existed.

Reinhaim adjusted her glasses and muttered.

“*This spring is imbued with the power of an ancient god. To discover something like this… truly, the Hero Party is extraordinary.*”


“*An ancient god?*”

The Hero Party was puzzled.


Yurinel, though granted a noble title, was an orphan from a commoner background.


Parnell, who entered the Magic Tower at a young age, lacked common knowledge. And Lucia, though from a prestigious family, lost her parents early.

They knew nothing about ancient gods. At best, they’d heard such things existed.

But even the saint, who wasn’t an orphan and came from a decent background with living parents, was clueless.

She looked at the cardinal and asked, puzzled.

“*Ancient gods? Do they really exist?*”


“*You probably wouldn’t know, saint. There’s no need for you to know.*”

A being higher than the one they serve.


But one they have no reason to know about.

The cardinals and bishops of the Church Country had no reason to inform the saint about such ancient gods. In fact, they had to keep it hidden. Only the higher-ups knew; the lower priests were unaware.

At best, they thought of them as gods from a bygone era.


But the ancient gods have always existed, unchanged. They simply lack self-awareness, and even if they had it, communication would be impossible.

“*If it’s something I don’t need to know, does that mean you and the others have been deceiving me?*”

The saint puffed her cheeks, and Reinhaim gently reassured her.

“*It’s just knowledge that wouldn’t be useful to you, so we didn’t share it. If you wish, I can tell you everything. Now… where to begin.*”

And so, one of the tightly guarded secrets of the Three God Faith began to spill from her lips.