The renowned demon-hunting family, the Western Family’s second daughter, Lucia Western. The youngest mage to be called a genius of the Magic Tower, Parnell.
And then, the genius among geniuses, acknowledged by all. The hero of this generation chosen by the Three Divine Gods, Yurinel Larkponsia.
Joining their party is a saintess who serves the Goddess of the Earth, Nemi.
Araidel and the Archbishop of the Nemi Faith who serves her, Reinhaim.
“We greet the representative of the goddess.”
Even Parnell and Lucia, with heavy heads, bowed in respect. Inside the carriage, a woman clad in a nun’s habit covering her entire body shook her head quietly.
“Now, we are all comrades.”
She is the saintess of this generation, directly chosen by the Goddess of the Earth, Nemi.
One of the three saintesses of the Three God Faith, Araidel.
“Such excessive courtesy is unnecessary.”
“I greet the heroes of the empire. I am Reinhaim, a bishop from the Church Country.”
“I see. Bishop, welcome to our party.”
“I am also pleased to meet the hero I’ve only heard rumors about.”
After exchanging greetings, they talked about various things, including their hometowns and preferences.
After chatting amiably, they decided to set off after getting to know each other before the real journey began. The Goddess of the Earth is the most popular among the Three Divine Gods. As the goddess governing fertility, she is naturally associated with abundance.
The goddess who governs agriculture has always attracted people’s attention,
and the fact that she has the most followers among the Three Gods proves this.
Nemi’s divine power doesn’t heal as well as the Goddess of Healing, Hilrae, nor is it as lethal to demons as the Goddess of Light, Elysia’s.
But like the earth itself, it contains boundless vitality. Just as sprouts emerge from moist soil, Nemi’s divine power waters the parched and revitalizes them.
Naturally, the party had high expectations for the abilities of the saintess, Araidel, the daughter of the goddess.
“How about trying to take down a Giant Two-Headed Ogre? It’s not too dangerous for our level, and it would be a good way for the saintess to broaden her experience.”
“The hero is the expert, so I trust your judgment.”
It remains to be seen, but the saintess’s personality seems to pass the test.
If the saintess had been arrogant or looked down on others, they would have been offended, but the first impression wasn’t bad. After all, the goddess has eyes and wouldn’t choose just anyone as a saintess.
It’s not exactly an interview, but after long observation, a suitable nun is chosen and given an oracle. Choosing a saintess with a bad personality who doesn’t know right from wrong would be a loss for the goddess.
‘Lucky.’
Yurinel sighed in relief, inwardly worried about the saintess’s personality.
But a problem arose from an unexpected place.
“Wow, that’s the Ogre I’ve only heard about… It certainly looks big and strong.”
“The Giant Two-Headed Ogre is an advanced species of Ogre.”
Yurinel explained while drawing her sword. With two heads and four arms, unlike the green-skinned Ogre, this giant has a tough, gray hide that looks impenetrable.
Its steps alone shake the earth, but they’ve defeated it several times before.
Even most demons would die if they encountered it, but she could defeat it alone. It’s perfect for testing the saintess’s abilities.
“An Ogre, born with resistance to magic and divine power, evolved for unknown reasons and grew larger, becoming a Giant Ogre. With one more head, it becomes a Giant Two-Headed Ogre. If it grows another head, it becomes a monster on the level of a Demon King.”
This comes from someone who has fought the Three-Headed Six-Armed Ogre, a leader of the monster army. Ogres are strong in their basic form, but when they evolve, they become not just monsters, but calamities.
At their final evolution, they can no longer be called Ogres. They are referred to as Asuras, true Demon King-level monsters that repel swords and spears and are immune to fire. They are rare and hard to encounter, but if you meet one, you’re already in the afterlife.
“Evil demon, by the light of the goddess, I shall guide you to hell. As the daughter of the goddess, I declare that you have no place on this eternal earth. Fall into the abyss!”
With a blinding flash, divine power shot like a beam and struck the Ogre. The Ogre’s innate divine resistance countered the light, but the human before it was no ordinary priest—she was the saintess, Nemi’s daughter.
The saintess Araidel’s light pierced through the resistance and struck the Ogre, causing both of its heads to roar simultaneously. The Ogre’s roar, filled with magical power, scattered the light in an instant.
The flustered Araidel was comforted by Bishop Reinhaim.
“There’s no need to be surprised that a mere demon resists the will of the gods. Ogres are inherently rebellious against all gods, so they don’t easily submit to evil gods or our mother.”
“That’s why we’re here, saintess. You don’t have to defeat that thing alone.”
Yurinel also chimed in. Parnell and Lucia nodded as well.
If the saintess could defeat such a creature alone, what need would there be for heroes, mages, and swordsmen? The sacred sword would be donated to a museum, and the three of them would have to become priests in a temple.
The saintess nodded and recited another prayer.
Divine power flowed through the earth, creating a field. Since the strong attack failed, she manifested an aura that drained the enemy’s stamina and empowered her allies.
Feeling the surge of vitality and strength, Yurinel suddenly frowned.
Her calculations had gone awry in an unexpected place.
‘She definitely gets stronger. The amplification rate isn’t bad.’
The divine power of the Goddess of the Earth, Nemi, was indeed worthy of her reputation.
While it may fall short in direct healing or attack power compared to the other two gods, in terms of support and blessings for allies, she is considered the best among the Three Divine Gods.
‘But something’s different. Yes, this is different from Kyle’s divinity.’
Nemi’s divine power grants immense strength momentarily, but all the blessings are temporary. It’s like slapping on a temporary buff.
In contrast, the divine power of the Goddess of Hope quietly brings out the best potential within a person.
Even the most difficult techniques, which might succeed once in ten attempts, are guaranteed to succeed. After all, if there’s even a one in ten chance, the blessing of the Goddess of Hope turns that possibility into a certainty.
So even after the blessing ends, something remains. Knowledge and experience remain. The power of the Goddess of Hope blooms the potential that couldn’t blossom before, and the hero party has grown relying on that power, knowingly or unknowingly.
Once a flower has bloomed, it doesn’t wither just because the blessing ends. With proper effort and care, the flower will remain in bloom, sustained by its owner’s strength.
‘It doesn’t feel like it’s naturally harmonizing with me. It’s like my body isn’t my own.’
If the power of the Goddess of Hope makes my body move towards its ‘optimal state,’
Nemi’s divine power just slaps on healing, regeneration, and buff effects.
The results are similar. In terms of simple enhancement, Araidel’s divine power might be slightly better.
But in terms of ultimate potential, there’s no comparison. Amplifying my strength temporarily versus my strength growing is a completely different story.
It’s like a balloon, no matter how inflated, will pop if pricked with a needle, but a slightly smaller steel ball will bend the needle. The size might be similar, but the substance is different.
Hope is the driving force towards the future.
The power of the Goddess of Hope continuously grows everything it touches.
Like the Phylogenetic Seedling, it pulls future potential into the present,
helping tomorrow’s self grow beyond today’s self. Unless it takes the form of a miracle like the Phylogenetic Seedling, this effect is steady and gradual, not immediately apparent.
‘Lately, I’ve been feeling good,’ is something you might think for a day or two.
After a week, it becomes the standard, the norm. Only after the source of the blessing is gone do people feel something is off. Parnell, the mage who usually unleashes high-powered spells like Hellfire on Ogres, twitched her eyebrows.
‘Why is my mana recovery slower than usual?’
The spell’s power wasn’t as strong as usual. It only delivered about 80% of its usual power, and she used about 1.2 times the usual amount of mana. The slower mana recovery was an added bonus.
It’s not strange. Her condition hasn’t worsened.
Who always performs at 100% of their capability? Even at peak condition, it’s not possible. It was only possible before because of the power of the Goddess of Hope.
Now that the power has faded, they’ve returned to the same standard as everyone else. It’s not a weakening, nor a decline, just the same conditions as others.
Slower mana recovery is also natural. The divine power of the Goddess of Hope contains infinite potential for transformation, allowing any kind of power to be converted and naturally replenishing consumed mana.
This is impossible with Nemi’s divine power. While it can provide vitality to the body, it can’t replenish a completely different kind of power like mana. The invincible feeling she used to get from Kyle’s power was also absent. It’s no wonder Parnell was bewildered.
Is this really the full power of the goddess’s daughter?
Is the Ogre not worthy, so she’s holding back? All sorts of thoughts crossed her mind during the battle.
Even without the blessing of the Goddess of Hope, they are the hero party.
Lucia and Yurinel neatly severed the two arms of the Ogre, whose left side was scorched black. The holy chains, Divine Chains, bound the Ogre’s legs, and Yurinel took the opportunity to behead it.
A complete victory, a great triumph. There were no casualties on their side. But except for Araidel, everyone’s expression was not bright.
They all felt that this battle was somehow different. They didn’t know exactly how or why, but it certainly wasn’t the same as usual.
‘Were our expectations… too high?’
It’s true that they had high expectations for the saintess of the Church Country that worships the Three Gods.
They didn’t expect her to shake the heavens and overturn the earth, but they at least hoped she would demonstrate overwhelming power compared to her predecessors. No, they didn’t just hope—they took it for granted!
It’s only natural that the Three Divine Gods are superior to nameless minor gods, and that a saintess is far above an ordinary priest.
This outcome was something no one expected, something they hadn’t even dreamed of.
The only thing they could be sure of was that Araidel’s divine power, unlike Kyle’s, was effective against demons and monsters. While Kyle could only heal and recover, Araidel could use divine power for attacks. Naturally, the range of strategies they could employ increased significantly.
‘Well, let’s think positively.’
Yurinel bit her lip, unable to hide her disappointment.
They gained something, but they also lost a lot. It’s hard to judge which is more advantageous at this point. She shook her head, trying to soothe her regret.
‘It’s not just about one ability.’
Araidel is someone who will grow to be one of the leaders of the Church Country. Being able to form a bond with such a person under the name of comradeship is more valuable than one might think.
It could also be seen as a step closer to greater power. She believed her judgment wasn’t wrong. Originally, she was confident, but seeing the saintess’s abilities made her a bit uneasy.
“You’re all amazing! Have you been fighting like this all along?”
“Ah, yes. Well…”
“Indeed, you are the true heroes who purify the earth and spread the will of the goddess. I, Araidel, will dedicate myself to aiding your journey.”
“Um, saintess.”
While the saintess was basking in her own glory,
Parnell, the mage often said to be oblivious, asked.
“Saintess, can you use something like the Observatory of Star’s Dream?”
Objectively, Araidel’s abilities weren’t lacking,
but subjectively, they fell far short. Their enemy is the Primal Demon King, an ancient monster older than the Three Divine Gods.
The saintess Araidel’s abilities will need more observation to conclude, but no one can be sure how much help she’ll be against Grimudo.
They thought that with the saintess, they could aim for Grimudo’s neck, but now it seems they might need to reconsider.
“Or maybe some other miracle. You’re not using it now because there’s no need, right?”
What nonsense is this?
Araidel’s expression seemed to ask.
“A miracle…?”
A miracle is something that a saint or saintess, beloved by the gods, can use only once in their lifetime, usually in their old age after dedicating their life to faith.
There have been a few cases of young people using miracles, but those were limited to saintesses who were exceptionally favored by the goddess or born with heavenly talents. Araidel was neither.
“Well… if I risk my life, maybe once…? Is that possible…?”
She laughed awkwardly and scratched her head. She took it as a joke and brushed it off.
A miracle isn’t child’s play. Even to the greatest servant of the gods, the saintess.
No matter how great saints and saintesses are, they are still human, far below the angels who assist the gods in heaven.
In contrast, apostles are not originally a rank active on earth.
As representatives of the gods, they are in a different field and don’t have a direct hierarchical relationship with angels, but they must respect each other. Their status can be considered equal.
Creating and extinguishing miracles.
That’s why it could be performed as simply as lighting a candle.
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