All the villagers who had gathered knelt down in unison, worshipping and chanting the name of the god they had just created in their hearts. The scene slightly surprised Kael. To be honest, he had never asked Enri to organize such worship. This must have been a spontaneous act born from the villagers' hearts, and it made his efforts to secretly build the magnificent temple feel extremely worthwhile.
"Everyone, please stand," Kael said gently, raising his right hand and gesturing for all the villagers to rise.
With their god's permission, the villagers stood up one after another, but their eyes remained fixed on Kael, radiating fervent spirit and hope. Kael fully understood the expectations they held, but he felt the need to adhere to the procedure he had established.
"After awakening from my long slumber," Kael said in an authoritative yet soothing voice, "the first village I encountered was yours, Carne. This is an opportunity you have earned. I promised before that if you could build a temple to worship the Lord within five days and be willing to become followers of the Lord, you would be rewarded accordingly."
He continued with a gentle yet questioning gaze, "Now that the first condition has been magnificently fulfilled, I wish to ask you, the residents of Carne Village, are you willing to fully believe in me and become followers of the destiny I have ordained?"
As soon as those words were spoken, all the residents of Carne Village responded without the slightest hesitation. Their voices boomed, filling the air.
"I am willing!" exclaimed a middle-aged man with tearful eyes.
"The Lord has saved my family's lives, so I am willing to do anything!" a young mother chimed in with a voice full of conviction.
…
Although their numbers were only a few dozen, the shouts of agreement and loyalty thundered like waves crashing against the shore, so loud that some people standing nearby turned their heads in surprise.
Gazef, who had also been invited to attend this miraculous festival, frowned deeply as he witnessed the scene before him. If it were just ordinary acts of faith, he wouldn't have felt anything strange. However, the fervor and fanaticism emanating from the residents of Carne Village at this moment seemed so intense and overflowing.
Considering how easily Kael had controlled him and many members of the Royal Knights earlier without any significant resistance, Gazef couldn't help but have a question gnawing at his mind: had Kael used some kind of hidden magic to influence the thoughts and emotions of the villagers?
With this disturbing thought, even though he was well aware that he was no match for Kael and his current actions would most likely anger the other party, Gazef couldn't silence his conscience. He felt he had to voice his doubts for the sake of truth and for the people who might be under the influence of powerful magic.
"Please wait a moment!" he shouted loudly, breaking the solemn atmosphere that had just been created.
Gazef's firm and doubtful shout was so different from the enthusiastic cheers of the villagers that it immediately drew the attention of everyone present. Their eyes shifted from Kael, who stood gracefully on the temple steps, to the figure of the anxious-looking Captain of the Royal Knights.
"Captain of the Knights!?" exclaimed several members of the Kingdom Warriors standing beside Gazef with surprised and worried expressions. They quickly reached out towards him, trying to stop his impulsive action.
However, Gazef raised his hand to stop his subordinates who were trying to obstruct him. With steady steps, he stood out from the crowd of villagers and faced Kael, who stood calmly on the steps of the magnificent temple.
"Although you claim to be a god," Gazef said in a cautious yet firm tone, "you have never revealed your true name, let alone performed any real miracles in front of us. Aren't you being too hasty to expect people to believe in you based solely on claims and promises?"
"Impudent!" shouted a villager with eyes flashing angrily.
"How dare you disrespect the Lord who saved us!" another chimed in with a threatening tone.
Gazef's doubtful questions immediately aroused anger and disbelief among the villagers. They all began to criticize and condemn Gazef's boldness, which they considered an insult to their god. However, Gazef closed his ears to the abuse, staring straight at Kael with strong determination, without showing the slightest sign of fear or cowardice on his face.
"It's alright," Kael said suddenly in a calm voice that was able to quell the commotion. The villagers instantly stopped talking and turned to listen to the response from their god.
Kael continued in a gentle yet authoritative tone, "Since everyone in this village is willing to believe in me sincerely, then they are the Lord's people and naturally have the right to know the true name of the Lord they worship."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "This god's name is Kael, and I am also known as the God of Destiny. This god's teachings are simple: if you are willing to entrust your life and loyalty completely to this god, you will be reborn in the true sense, and your destiny will change for the better."
Kael then shifted his gaze briefly towards Gazef with a cold look, "As for those who prefer to doubt and question, if you wish to witness a real miracle, then just watch from the sidelines. Now is not your turn to participate in this sacrament."
After saying that in a tone that left no room for argument, Kael turned his loving gaze back to the villagers who were looking at him expectantly.
Of course, Gazef couldn't give up so easily. He felt that something was wrong, and he had to uncover the truth. However, just as he was about to open his mouth to speak again, he found his entire body feeling as if it were restrained by an invisible force. He couldn't move even to twitch his fingers. He didn't need to think too much to realize that Kael was behind all of this.
Annoying! Gazef thought with frustration, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
After successfully suppressing the presumptuous Gazef, Kael smiled gently at the villagers again and continued in a loving tone, "My devout brothers and sisters in faith, your piety and sincere faith have been rewarded by Me. Now is the time for the Lord to fulfill His great promise."
He stretched out his hand in a dramatic gesture and said, "Bring forth the remains of your beloved ones who perished in that terrible tragedy. It is time for Me to awaken them from their long slumber."
Kael's approachable demeanor and hopeful words stunned the villagers for a moment. The next second, as they fully grasped the meaning of Kael's words, wide, happy smiles bloomed on everyone's faces.
"Oh!!!" they exclaimed in unison, tears of emotion starting to flow down some people's cheeks.
"Long live the God of Destiny! Long live Lord Kael!!!" shouts of joy echoed throughout the village once again.
Amidst the hopeful clamor of cheers, the village chief deftly arranged for several people to carry the remains of the villagers they had preserved earlier to the front of the magnificent temple, placing them carefully on the open ground, awaiting Kael to perform the resurrection miracle he had promised.
At this moment, if Kael wanted to maintain his image as an omnipotent god, the most convincing way would naturally be to simply wave his hand and revive all the deceased villagers in an instant. But unfortunately, he didn't possess such a powerful area resurrection spell. Fortunately, he had prepared a backup plan.
"Enri," Kael called out in a soft yet clear voice, breaking the hopeful silence. Under the gaze of all the villagers' eyes fixed on her, the little village girl, although not fully understanding what was happening, immediately ran towards him when she heard her name called.
Then, Kael took out an ancient-looking magic staff that emanated an aura of power from his inventory and handed it to Enri. "Use this to resurrect the dead. As the first priestess of the Lord in this village, I will let you preside over this miraculous resurrection ceremony."
"Yes, Lord Kael!" Enri replied with a serious and responsible expression on her face. She carefully received the resurrection staff from Kael's hand, and then, under Kael's telepathic guidance, she activated the staff's effect.
The first person to receive the touch of the resurrection magic was a heavily bearded villager who looked peaceful in his death. Under the gentle yet powerful resurrection light, his stiff and wrinkled face slowly regained life, his pallor gradually disappearing, and finally becoming rosy and smooth like that of a normal living person.
"Well..." the bearded man groaned softly, his eyes slowly opening with a confused and dazed expression.
"Rest assured, Father! You're back!" exclaimed a mother and child who immediately ran out of the crowd, hugging the man tightly while sobbing with uncontrollable joy.
Those familiar voices and appearances slowly awakened the bearded man's full consciousness, bringing him back from the brink of death. His first reaction was confusion and worry, "Liya? Amy? You... were you also killed in the attack?"
His still-sobbing wife slightly loosened her tight embrace and said to the bearded man in a trembling yet joyful voice, "No! My dear, no! You... you have been resurrected by the Lord! Lord Kael has resurrected you!"
Lord? Resurrection? Those questions swirled in the still-dazed Big Beard's mind.
At that touching moment, Enri, who was standing beside them, smiled gently and reminded the reunited family in a loving tone, "Lord Colin, Aunt Leah, please step down and rest first. There are still others waiting to be resurrected."
"Oh! Forgive us, Miss Enri. We were too happy..." the wife replied with a blush of embarrassment. After being reminded by Enri, she quickly reacted and helped her weakly standing husband away from the spot.
Thus, the resurrection ceremony proceeded slowly but orderly and miraculously. One by one, the villagers who had died in the tragedy came back to life, greeted by the tearful cries and tight embraces of their families and friends. When the last deceased person had been resurrected, the entire open space was filled with happy laughter, joyful sobs, and a heartwarming atmosphere of family reunions.
"Everyone!" Enri called out in a loud and emotional voice, recalling the speech the village chief usually gave after the annual harvest festival. "The great Lord has generously reunited us with our lost loved ones. Let us join me in expressing our infinite gratitude for the magnificent grace of Lord Kael!"
The villagers, filled with gratitude and happiness, immediately reacted and responded to Enri's call. They once again knelt down in unison and bowed deeply to Kael, who was floating calmly on the temple steps, radiating an aura of majesty and benevolence.
"Thank you to the great Lord!" they exclaimed in trembling voices.
"Thank you very much, Lord Kael!" others chimed in with tears of emotion streaming down their faces.
"Long live Lord Kael!" shouts of joyful cheers echoed in the air once more.
Kael smiled gently and accepted everyone's sincere gratitude with a friendly nod. Finally, he raised his hand and gestured for everyone to stand. After that, he turned his triumphant gaze towards Gazef, who was still restrained by his magic, and said with a subtle hint of sarcasm, "Gazef, Captain of the Royal Knights, what do you think of this resurrection miracle you have just witnessed?"
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