"You are kind, resilient, and brave. The light of your soul shines brightly."
Kael spoke those two sentences to Enri with a faint smile, a genuine smile that he rarely showed. His approval of the girl was evident in every word he uttered.
"Uh... you're too kind. I'm just an ordinary person," Enri replied in a low voice, slightly blushing at the unexpected praise.
Feeling Kael's warmth and kindness, her anxiety gradually subsided, and the fear that had gripped her heart slowly dissipated.
"Little girl," Kael said in a mysterious voice tinged with a hint of amusement, "the acknowledgment of a God is an invaluable honor. You simply need to accept it with joy. Otherwise, wouldn't you be questioning the decision of a God?"
Those words, though spoken gently, once again shook Enri's newfound composure. She was overcome with anxiety again, fearing that if she didn't accept the praise correctly, she would displease Kael. Panicked, she prepared to apologize for her unworthiness.
"Don't be afraid," Kael stopped Enri's movement with a gentle wave of his hand, "Gods are always more tolerant of special individuals." Then, he asked the girl a truly astonishing question, "Girl, allow me to ask you, are you willing to become my follower and offer your unwavering and eternal faith?"
Enri did not fully grasp the concept of faith and becoming a follower in the context of a god, but she understood the meaning of loyalty.
This adult in front of me probably wants me to do something for him, right? she thought carefully.
Although the origins of this man were unknown and his claim to be a god felt deeply unsettling, one thing was undeniable: his sudden appearance had stopped the terrible massacre in the village and saved everyone's lives.
It's only natural to want to repay someone's kindness, Enri thought.
If I refuse this adult's request now, he'll most likely get angry, just like what happened to the captain earlier, she thought with a slight tremor.
Enri looked up and around, at the fearful yet hopeful faces of the surviving villagers. Then, her thoughts drifted to her sister, Nemu, and her parents, whose fates were still unknown to her. With a sudden surge of determination, she gritted her teeth and said to Kael in a slightly trembling voice, "God... God, I am willing to become your follower, but please... please save everyone in this village!"
"Is this your sincere wish?" Kael asked softly, looking at Enri who was crawling on the ground with a serious expression. Then, his gaze shifted to the surrounding villagers of Carne, and the faint smile on his face became more pronounced, as if he had obtained what he had hoped for.
He had saved the villagers of Carne not solely out of compassion, but also to gain their gratitude and use this remote village as a strategic starting point to develop his own power in this new and unfamiliar world.
Then, what exactly made the villagers of Carne so special that he gave them such special treatment?
Wasn't the reason quite ridiculous, just like in the original story, that they had once been saved by Momonga? Seizing Momonga's resources would be a form of entertainment for Kael.
However, behind that seemingly superficial reason, Kael saw a deeper potential. These border villagers tended to be simpler and more honest in their hearts. Compared to the scheming city dwellers, the greedy adventurers, or the cunning professionals, they were more innocent and possessed a genuine understanding of the meaning of gratitude.
In the original story, even after the villagers of Carne learned that Momonga was an enemy to all living beings and a terrifying undead, their admiration and loyalty towards the undead ruler remained unchanged.
This is quite interesting, Kael thought.
[Divinity of the Fated God] did possess the ability to alter the physiques of the natives of the other world, granting them the potential for extraordinary power. However, the holy item could not control their spirits and hearts. Therefore, Kael's primary criterion for choosing his followers was not how strong their original potential power was, but their character and loyalty.
People who lacked loyalty in their hearts would be ungrateful, no matter how much you fed and protected them. Kael felt that his core team members in the future had to be people he could completely trust.
Although Enri's agreement to become his follower might have seemed like a way to go along with the terrifying situation, Kael saw a burning determination in the girl's eyes.
As long as I don't exploit these villagers cruelly in the future, I'm sure this girl definitely won't rebel against me, Kael thought.
Moreover, the relationships between villagers throughout this border region were very close-knit. With one person taking the lead, others would naturally join his ranks one after another, creating a strong bond of loyalty.
"Your prayer has been heard by the God," Kael said with a slight nod, then glanced at the Resurrection Angels standing upright beside him.
Thanks to the special psychic connection between summoned creatures and their summoner, all the Resurrection Angels instantly received Kael's command. They simultaneously turned to face the Theocracy knights who had invaded the village so brutally.
The round of slaughter began again at that moment, but with a dramatic reversal of roles. The previous perpetrators of cruelty now became helpless victims before the heavenly power.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Ahhhh!"
Under the horrified yet hopeful gazes of the villagers, the resurrection angels waved their glowing staves and mercilessly yet efficiently eliminated the knights one by one. Some knights who tried to ambush villagers fleeing outside the village were also suddenly lifted into the sky by an invisible telekinetic force, then thrown from a terrifying height into the open space in the center of the village, falling with sickening thuds to their instant deaths.
The corpses of all the invaders who had committed the massacre were thrown together, forming a gruesome pile in the center of the once peaceful village.
The surviving villagers looked at the terrifying pile of corpses. Strangely, there was not the slightest hint of fear in their eyes. Instead, what was visible was a glimpse of deep satisfaction that justice had finally been served and revenge for the loss of their loved ones had been exacted.
One second passed, two seconds...
About a minute later, Enri, still kneeling on the ground, hesitated for a moment before daring to ask Kael in a low voice, "God, can we..."
Although she did not finish her sentence, Kael, with his sharp gaze, glanced at the surrounding villagers and instantly understood what was on the girl's mind.
Now that all the invaders had been eliminated, many villagers were severely injured and in need of immediate medical attention. In addition, the remains of their deceased relatives also needed to be properly buried.
The sense of oppression and majesty emanating from Kael and his angels was too strong, making the villagers不敢 act without direct permission from their newfound deity.
"Eh…" Kael pondered for a moment, then said to Enri in a calm yet authoritative tone, "My people, as a reward for your righteous decision and to celebrate the God's descent upon this village, I shall allow you to witness a miracle."
"Gather all the wounded and the deceased of this village before me."
"Ah... yes!" Enri replied in confusion. She did not understand the meaning of Kael's strange request, but she still chose to obey his command without asking further questions.
After receiving the order, she immediately ran towards the surviving villagers and conveyed the message from their god to everyone.
The villagers quickly and efficiently took action. Within about five minutes, all the severely wounded and the deceased were brought before Kael.
Enri also returned to Kael's side, but her eyes were red and tearful, and her gaze was fixed on two lifeless figures lying among the rows of the dead.
They were a middle-aged couple, and from their peaceful expressions, Enri recognized them as her beloved parents.
Kael glanced at the girl, sensing the deep sorrow radiating from her. Without uttering a word of comfort, he raised his hand towards the group of severely injured people.
Instantly, the terrible wounds suffered by the group vanished without a trace!
An emerald green healing light enveloped all the injured, restoring them in the blink of an eye. No matter if it was just a small scratch on the skin or a serious wound that pierced the body, all the injured villagers were completely healed in an instant.
"Oh!" A sudden gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd of villagers who witnessed the miracle.
Although the villagers had heard about the existence of magic in ancient stories, they had never witnessed its power firsthand. It was only in this extraordinary scene that they realized just how miraculous and astonishing magic truly was.
"It's still too early to be surprised," Kael thought with a faint, hidden smile. Then, he turned to Enri beside him and asked in a gentle tone, "My believer, are any of these deceased your relatives?"
"Yes," Enri replied with a weak nod. Tears flowed uncontrollably from her red eyes. Her gaze was fixed on the stiff bodies of her parents, and deep sorrow was clearly etched on her pale face.
"Alright," Kael said in a calm yet confident tone, "bring them to the God, and the God shall descend and awaken them from death."
Enri was stunned for a moment by those words. She felt as if she had misheard something impossible.
Fearing a misunderstanding, she hurriedly asked Kael in a nervous and hopeful tone, "Wait a moment! Did... did you say you could revive my parents?"
Resurrection! ....
When the villagers, still in awe of the healing miracle, heard those extraordinary words, they instantly looked at Kael like Enri, with fervent hope in their eyes.
If only he really is this god, maybe he can do such a thing... No! Yes, it must be possible! they thought hopefully.
The sudden man-made disaster had cruelly taken away their loved ones, and now, when they suddenly heard about the possibility of resurrection, it felt as if they had found a glimmer of hope so precious that they did not want to let go of it, even if it was just an illusion.
At that moment, they even blindly hoped that Kael was a great being who could truly perform such a miracle.
Under the hopeful gazes of everyone, Kael nodded magnanimously and replied in a reassuringly confident tone: "Of course I can. If I couldn't even awaken the newly deceased, wouldn't the name of God become a laughingstock throughout the world?"
"Yes!" Enri exclaimed with tears of joy. She bowed deeply to Kael in shock and boundless gratitude, then immediately ran towards the stiff bodies of her parents.
Seeing Enri struggling, the four villagers standing nearby knew that the girl would definitely not be able to lift two adults by herself. Without hesitation, they immediately reached out and carefully helped carry Enri's parents before Kael.
After performing that noble task, the four villagers respectfully retreated, giving space for the miracle to occur. Enri knelt beside her two lifeless parents, looking at Kael with longing and surging hope in her eyes.
Now it's time for a little showmanship, Kael thought with a faint smile.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kael stood up from his golden throne and floated gracefully in front of the two deceased individuals.
The lowest tier of a decent resurrection spell was the fifth tier, [Raise Dead]. However, that spell required the resurrected person to have sufficient residual vitality to withstand the power of the resurrection magic. In game terms, the resurrected person's level had to be at least above LV5.
Otherwise, the resurrection effect of [Raise Dead] would fail, and forcibly using it would only cause the deceased person's body to turn to ashes.
Enri's parents were just ordinary villagers, most likely only around LV1~LV2, which clearly did not meet the requirements for resurrection with [Raise Dead].
However, this was not a problem for Kael, as he had access to much higher and more powerful tiers of resurrection magic.
"Ninth tier, [True Resurrection], is definitely not an issue. I wonder if the seventh tier, [Resurrection], will work. Hmm... let's try it," Kael thought to himself.
With deep focus, Kael cast the spell and used [Resurrection] magic on Enri's father. At the same time, he carefully sensed the feedback from the resurrection magic to avoid accidentally incinerating the middle-aged man's body.
Fortunately, the accident he was worried about did not occur.
Under the glow of the soft magical light, the middle-aged man's previously pale and lifeless face gradually regained its color, and the terrible wounds all over his body vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open, and he looked around in confusion before Enri's shocked and hopeful gaze.
"Ann... Enri? Is that really you? You didn't run away either... Where are your mother and Nemu?" the middle-aged man asked in a hoarse voice, raising his trembling hand and wanting to touch his daughter's cheek. His mind was still in disarray, and he thought his whole family had died with him in that terrible attack.
Enri's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and she couldn't hold back the tears of joy that streamed down her cheeks. With a choked sob, she hugged her father tightly, "No! Father, Father is alive again! The God... the God has brought Father back to life!"
"Yes, Father! Father is alive again!" exclaimed Nemu, Enri's younger sister, who was standing among the crowd of villagers. Seeing their father rise from the dead, she couldn't contain her excitement and rushed forward to hug her two beloved relatives.
Seeing that heartwarming scene, Kael's usually cold heart couldn't help but feel slightly touched by the warmth and strong family love.
The [Resurrection] skill he had just used was on cooldown and required about half an hour before it could be used again. However, the small family had only lost one member, so there was no need to keep them waiting in sorrow any longer.
"Ninth tier: True Resurrection!" Kael declared loudly, chanting the incantation for the high-tier resurrection magic.
With the aid of more potent and advanced magic, Enri's mother also rose from the dead. The family of four hugged each other tightly, celebrating their miraculous reunion after the terrible disaster that had almost taken everything from them. Tears of happiness and gratitude streamed down their faces, a scene that touched the hearts of everyone who witnessed it.