TBV 19

Chapter 19

Miracle

I let out a long, exhausted sigh at my own self-loathing.

I was frustrated at how only now—now of all times—I was realizing all of this.

If I had paid even a little attention, I could have known. Maybe I could have changed things.

No matter how busy I had been back then as a saint, clearing dungeons and purifying corrupted lands, that was no excuse.

……Saving the world? What a joke. I haven’t done a single thing right.

As I bit my lip in belated regret—

“Fine. Go ahead and pour it. Let’s see if I’m really a corrupted witch!”

Taryan’s sharp voice sliced through the chaotic night air.

As if he had been waiting for that moment, Rooster tilted the glass vial over her head.

The other villagers who had been labeled heretics recoiled in shock and backed away from her.

Drip.

The sticky jet-black liquid ran down Taryan’s hair.

“……!”

Without even thinking, I burst out of the bushes.

Weaving through the legs of villagers who had shut their eyes in despair, I reached her just as the curse slowly spread across the right side of her wrinkled face.

A choking stench of burning protein filled the air as black smoke rose in thick curls.

“……Ugh.”

Taryan gritted her teeth, but eventually let out a groan and collapsed.

The villagers who had been watching quietly began to glance at Rooster with resentment.

“Oh no, what do we do…”

“Lady Taryan…”

“I told you she couldn’t possibly be a heretic…”

But Rooster remained completely unfazed.

“Do not be deceived! It is all a fabricated illusion created by the corrupted witch!”

While he shouted that, I reached Taryan, who had been left alone.

I hid behind her shadow and placed my hand on the area where the curse still clung to her hair.

Inhale.

As I drew a deep breath, the curse covering her face vanished instantly.

Her skin, burned red and then blackened, was exposed.

The horrifying sight made gasps erupt from all around.

But Rooster only looked more pleased.

“Did you see that anomaly? The essence of the curse vanished in an instant! As expected—she is corrupted!”

He pointed at Taryan’s right face and continued.

“That wound is nothing but a trick of sorcery. Do not be deceived!”

Ignoring all evidence that worked against him, he reached toward the white box still held by a paladin.

“Still trying to sow doubt among the people. Truly a demon in disguise. In the name of God, I will end your tricks.”

With theatrical flair, he pulled out another glass vial.

Just then, I confirmed that Taryan’s breathing was hanging on by a thread.

She’s already critical. If she gets hit by the curse again…

But Rooster was already right in front of her.

With a vile smile, he tilted the vial without hesitation.

The black, sticky liquid inside poured down through the air—toward Taryan and my head.

…Damn it.

I almost closed my eyes in resignation.

But then—

The curse that should have fallen according to gravity suddenly stopped midair.

“…Huh?”

“W-What is this?!”

The villagers and even the Inquisitor widened their eyes in shock.

While everyone’s attention was locked on the frozen mass of curse in the air, only I realized the cause.

A figure in a worn hood was coughing violently, bending over as if barely standing.

At the same time, the suspended curse shifted—and fell harmlessly to the ground beside Taryan.

That idiot…!

Why couldn’t he just stay still? His body wasn’t even fully recovered. What if he went berserk again?!

I wanted to run over and grab him by the collar immediately.

But he was too far away.

Instead, I slammed my hand onto the ground and unleashed purification power without hesitation.

Wide enough. Large enough to reach that foolish prince.

The power I pushed out spread like roots searching for water.

Please.

One thread stopped nearby.

The land that had been blackened briefly regained its color.

Another stopped farther away.

The glass vials inside the white box were all emptied cleanly.

And the furthest-reaching strand reached him—the foolish, helpless prince.

His shoulders, which had been trembling, finally relaxed.

I barely had time to feel relief when—

“A miracle…!”

A trembling voice broke the silence.

A paladin who had been holding the box dropped it in shock and shouted:

“God has bestowed a blessing upon us!”

He threw the box aside and collapsed to the ground.

The emptied glass vials spilled across the dirt.

The other paladins followed suit, dropping their weapons and kneeling.

“This… impossible…”

“Oh, God!”

“The Lord has not abandoned us!”

“Worship it! Glory to Artifex!”

They prayed to the sky like fanatics.

Even Rooster, who had been frozen for a moment, quickly joined them in excitement.

“To witness the miracle of cursed land returning to life…! Truly, this is divine grace!”

He began kissing the ground repeatedly.

Disgusting.

I pulled my hand—or rather, my forepaw—away from the ground immediately.

I had no intention of absorbing anything like that, even by accident.

The villagers, who had been watching the absurd scene in stunned silence, slowly began to kneel as well.

“A blessing…?”

“Worship…?”

“Wow…”

I knew they weren’t doing it out of true belief—they were just trying to appease Rooster’s group.

Even so, disgust made my shoulders tremble.

An old woman suffering in pain right beside them, while everyone else celebrated—

It was grotesque.

It reminded me of those three smiling faces who had deceived me, and of myself working myself to exhaustion without even realizing I was being used…

“……”

Before I could fully shut my eyes, Rooster suddenly stood up and shouted:

“A miracle has descended upon this land!”

With exaggerated tone, as if delivering a sermon, he continued:

“He has restored land tainted by curse, and guided the corrupted witch back into the embrace of God!”

“…Hah.”

Someone let out a bitter laugh.

But Rooster ignored it and continued passionately:

“This land shall become proof of God’s mercy!”

Hidden in Taryan’s shadow, I clicked my tongue.

So that was it. All this “miracle” nonsense was just groundwork for declaring a holy site.

A holy site declaration was exactly what it sounded like.

It wasn’t something anyone could just casually decide.

First, a miracle—or something equivalent—had to occur.

Then evidence or at least thirty-three witnesses were required.

Finally, a high-ranking priest had to officially declare it.

And somehow, all three conditions just happened to align in that moment.

I frowned.

……Well, for someone capable of squeezing tribute out of a rural village like this, it made sense he was sharp.

Anyway.

Even after a declaration, several strict verification steps were normally required.

But in a situation like this, the Temple would almost certainly approve it immediately.

Why?

Because in the last ten years, the continent had seen nothing but cursed lands spreading like weeds.

Not only that—the False God Sect kept spreading in secret, and even the Temple was suspected of involvement in Calix’s escape…

In other words, the Temple is in its darkest age in history.

And now a “blessed holy site” has appeared?

It was exactly the kind of event that could flip public sentiment instantly.

Proof that God had not abandoned the world.

Proof that “destruction” was not inevitable fate.

And the priest who discovered such a site would secure a powerful position within the Temple overnight.

“Lord Rooster! Shouldn’t we report this immediately to the Central Temple?!”

“Ah, of course, of course! We should! We must depart at once!”

Rooster immediately ordered the barrier restricting spatial magic to be lifted.

As the paladins deactivated the artifact, the transparent barrier surrounding the village dissolved.

Once the restriction was gone, Rooster and his men tore open teleportation scrolls with grins stretching ear to ear.

Just like that, they vanished in an instant.

The rural village fell into silence once again.

As if nothing had happened.

……Only Taryan, collapsed and groaning on the ground, remained as proof that tyranny had swept through the village and passed.