Miracle Returns to the World

"What?" The Old Duke stood up, leaning on his cane, looking bewildered. "The Evil God has arrived?"

Ianna whirled around, glared at him fiercely, and shouted without any regard for his feelings, "Shut up!"

He then gave Nannick and Lyra a wink.

They walked to the north side of the hall, to the wall carved with holy images, clasped their hands together, bowed their heads, and chanted devoutly in aloud:

"Homage to the Mother of All Things, Goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth, eternal maiden, mother, and guardian of the old..."

Before the chanting had even ended, countless invisible walls seemed to suddenly appear in the hall.

The voices of the three priests overlapped, creating countless holy echoes.

Such an unusual situation made everyone afraid to sit still in their seats.

On Tissaia de Veres's delicate face, a look of surprise was barely concealed.

She paused for a second, then waved her hand to cancel the pale purple magical barrier around her, and gestured to the bewildered but orderly Sorceress around her.

She took a deep breath, quickly smoothed out the wrinkles that weren't there to begin with on her dress, and solemnly walked behind the priests, placing her right hand on her chest.

Meritellie is the patron saint of all women.

Does this include all women, including Sorceress?

certainly.

The Temple of Melitele may be gradually losing its former influence due to the retreat of its deities.

But in Tissaia's time, no woman in the Northern Continent was untouched by the goddess's grace.

The midwife at birth was a priestess from Meritellie, a cleric from an orphanage, a doctor when the child was injured or sick, and a sanctuary when the child grew old and lonely...

Even today, the reason why sorceresses can be considered equal to Sorceress wizards is largely due to Meritellie.

Some of the other Sorceress looked bewildered, some suddenly understood, and some were excited and devout. But after exchanging bewildered glances at this extraordinary phenomenon, they all followed behind Tissaia and offered their praise in unison:

"Homage to the Mother of All Things, Goddess of fertility, harvest, and childbirth, eternal maiden, mother, and guardian of the old..."

At that moment, the layers of prayers suddenly rose several times higher.

At the same time, the candlelight suddenly turned a brilliant gold, as if the entire hall was covered with a layer of gold leaf.

"Whoosh~"

A beam of white light descended from the sky and landed on the statue of Meritellie.

The simple, unadorned stone statue suddenly came to life with its kind face, becoming solemn and dignified.

He seemed to glance up and sweep across the hall, his imposing presence, more solemn than that of a king, causing everyone to instinctively lower their heads.

He didn't speak, but waved his hand and pointed, sending a beam of golden light that landed on Ianna.

The High Priest of the Temple of Melitele, whose body was slightly hunched, immediately straightened up.

"Exorcism..."

A blinding golden light flashed, causing everyone to close their eyes.

When they open their eyes again...

The icon of Meritellie is as benevolent and simple as ever, even bearing the etched marks of time.

The empty hall was filled only with the distant, ethereal sound of sacred music, seemingly emanating from the heavens.

The priests and Sorceress kept their heads down, not daring to raise them, until the echoing holy sounds completely disappeared, at which point people began to whisper among themselves.

"That... that... that's a goddess?"

"Hmm... it seems so..."

"Exorcism... Did He specifically bestow this blessing for this battle?"

This is the Sorceress who hasn't quite come to her senses yet.

"Oh my god, Arthur, what did I just say?" The Old Duke asked, his eyes wide with terror.

Arthur wisely refrained from answering the question.

When the Old Duke asked the question without thinking, all the women present frowned and stared at them.

The Old Duke was completely unaware of what was happening. Instead, when he looked at Arthur, he immediately spotted Ianna.

"I... Ianna, your...your face..." he said in astonishment.

Only then did the others realize it.

The elderly Ianna at the Temple of Melitele was not only tall and dignified, but also possessed a graceful and dignified posture.

The wrinkles left by the years on her face had been smoothed out, making her face as smooth as a young girl's, although her pupils were still deep, carrying an age that was quite different from her face.

At this moment, Ianna's appearance was no less than that of any of the Sorceress present.

On the contrary, her holy and timeless temperament made her seem like a goddess who transcended the world.

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell.

"Just a side effect of Divine Art," Ianna without surprise, clearly having gleaned some information from the goddess's gift. "The goddess bestowed upon me Divine Art to subdue Evil God..."

She gave a brief explanation and then turned away with a complicated expression.

Everyone followed her gaze and looked over, followed by another series of gasps.

The traces left by the goddess have not completely disappeared.

Vesemir stared blankly at the four amulets floating four fingers above his palm.

These amulets exude a remarkable divine aura and shimmer with a dazzling golden light.

It seemed as if everyone was being made to witness this scene, and when they all turned around and saw these amulets...

The golden light faded.

The amulet gently landed in Vesemir's palm.

Ianna looked at the four amulets, glanced sideways at the little priest desperately trying to hide behind Nannick, and suddenly asked:

Where is Ailin?

"The Icon Room." Vesemir exclaimed without hesitation, stunned.

The next second.

"Bang!"

The lobby door was suddenly pushed open.

A young priest rushed into the hall shouting, "High Priest! High Priest! Miracle! Miracle!"

"Where?" Ianna asked.

"The icon room," the priestess said breathlessly, "A golden light shot out from inside the icon room and into the sky; many people saw it..."

In an instant.

All eyes were on Vesemir, especially Tissaia de Veres's probing gaze, which made his scalp tingle and he awkwardly took two steps back, bracing himself against the wall.

He truly never expected that he, who was merely an observer there to inquire about the exorcism process, would one day become the "protagonist" of the entire reception hall.

Although he didn't want to be the "protagonist"...

But the real "protagonist"...

"By Meritellie!"

"Damn you, Ailin, what have you done now?"

Feeling the Mental Fluctuation in his mind that felt like a landslide and a tsunami, Vesemir couldn't help but ask aloud in his mind.

"Alright!" Ianna cleared her throat, diverting everyone's attention.

She instructed the priest, who was completely unaware of what had happened in the hall, "Helia, you should go out first. It was indeed a miracle of the goddess's descent, but please tell the people in the temple not to approach the icon room for the time being."

"Yes, High Priest." Helia gently closed the door.

"Let's continue our discussion on the command of the campaign against the Evil God..."

Before Ianna could finish speaking, Tissaia glanced thoughtfully at the amulet clutched in Vesemir's hand, then at Ianna's flawless, beautiful face, and interrupted:

"No need to discuss it!" She gently shook her head.

After the goddess Meritellie descended and issued her Divine Command, the temple had completely taken control of the meeting.

However, she was also happy to see this happen.

Taking command was merely to ensure that Aretuza's interests would not be deliberately harmed, not because she was truly confident in her command skills.

She came here in accordance with Ancient Covenant, not to seize power.

The most suitable person is in the most suitable position, which is good for everyone, and only the locals know who the most suitable person is.

However, there is still one step to take before she can completely relinquish command.

"Can the High Priest swear an oath, as the Ancient Covenant has been fulfilled countless times?"

"Of course!" Ianna answered without hesitation.

She then straightened her clothes and faced the statue of the Three Saints of Meritellie on the wall, and swore an oath:

"By Meritellie, I swear, in my capacity as the great protector of mankind, the Mother of All Things, the guardian of abundance, and the human representative of the Goddess Meritellie, with the Divine Power bestowed upon me by the goddess..."

Her vow was answered as soon as it was spoken.

Her words carried an emphasis as soon as they left her lips, as if another person were repeating them in the Kingdom of God, and imprinting them on some sacred place.

Upon seeing this, Tissaia de Veres relaxed her body slightly.

"... A just heart beats in my heart, and my eyes measure the standards given by the gods..."

"... When justice is tainted, it will leave me..."

"... When the standards of the gods are broken, the calamity of blindness will afflict my remaining life, bestowing upon me the torment and suffering of Oathbreaker..."

Ianna's dark pupils gleamed with gold.

The Old Duke and Arthur stared intently at the sacred changes brought about by each word of the oath.

Vesemir frowned.

Tissaia hesitated, then waited until Ianna had finished reciting all the vows before whispering:

"It doesn't need to go this far; the punishment for breaking an oath is far too cruel..."

Although both are oaths made before the gods, one can also choose to be punished for breaking the oath.

Tissaia's original intention was simply to have a similar punishment, like Divine Power burning or betrayal of favor...

As long as she can give an explanation to the other Sorceress, that's fine, since Meritellie has already descended in person.

Who would have thought that Ianna would choose the heaviest oath, the "Oath of the Oathbreaker"?

to be honest.

Warlocks may not be very knowledgeable in other areas, but their research on oaths is top-notch in every aspect.

Exploiting the flaws in the oath would require some effort from Tissaia, one of the top sorcerers of the Northern Continent, but it was not impossible.

Ianna was essentially putting her life in her hands.

Moreover, would the High Priest of the Temple of Melitele be so ignorant as to be unaware of the sorcerer's "unique" expertise?

Tissaia took a deep breath.

The Temple of Melitele remained as selfless and focused on the greater good as ever, making her heart, which was constantly calculating gains and losses, seem even more filthy than the pulsating, rotting flesh of the Ghoul.

Ianna waved her hand. "I have no intention of breaking my oath. What does it matter to me how severe the punishment for breaking an oath may be?"

She felt a burning sensation in her heart.

Those were the Divine Seal marks left by the oath, which would steal her heart if she broke it. She wouldn't die then, but would suffer a fate worse than death, experiencing all the punishments before dying in agony, her soul rejected by all the gods.

certainly.

There's another point that outsiders don't know.

The oath contains the world's oldest power. The more cruel the oath, the more the world will respond with an unspeakable, mysterious power, allowing her to better master the Divine Power bestowed by the goddess.

Although it is unknown what Ailin did to awaken the long-dormant goddess.

But the sudden arrival of such powerful Divine Power, which she had never experienced before, made it as difficult for her to control as a child wielding a long sword.

Divine Power seemed to be congested in the blood.

Now that we're about to make a vow, let's make the most stringent one and draw strength from the whole world.

Ailin gave her hope of defeating the Evil God, and she had to acquire as much power as possible so as not to waste Ailin's efforts, even though she didn't know what Ailin had sacrificed.

The idea was simple, but it seemed to have an unexpected effect.

Tissaia remained silent for a moment, for the vow had already been made, and to bring it up now would be too hypocritical, no matter what she said.

So she completely relinquished all command, "The Aretuza Academy abides by the ancient covenant, and all Sorceress will obey all the arrangements of the temple."

She paused, then looked directly into Ianna's eyes solemnly and added, "Including me!"

Including "me"... Ianna's eyes lit up immediately.

Warlocks are not soldiers; the more of them, the stronger they are.

Tissaia's individual contribution might be equivalent to that of all the other Sorceress combined, and as the leader of Aretuza, she was originally not supposed to accept anyone's command.

"Arland also abides by the ancient covenant and obeys all the arrangements of the temple," the Old Duke added.

The situation suddenly became clear thanks to the arrival of the Goddess Meritellie.

Ianna's brow relaxed.

Once command was established, the campaign against the Evil God immediately began to make substantial progress. Soon, with everyone's collective wisdom, a rough plan was formed, and then they began to consider the details.

At that moment, Vesemir, holding the warm amulet, listened intently.

Although he didn't know what the point of doing this was.

The goddess descended and bestowed the amulet, seemingly exposing their intentions to Ianna completely.

He didn't see Lyra avoiding Ianna's gaze, looking at him resentfully.

But what could Vesemir do? He couldn't control the Goddess Meritellie...

If we don't take all the amulets, what if that kid just runs away without a care in the world?

The Greater Griffin only obeys Ailin's commands...

"It's all Ailin's fault!"

He deliberately avoided Lyra's gaze and sighed inwardly.

Before making a big fuss, they didn't even bother to inform their own people beforehand.

Now that things have gotten so awkward, how are we going to salvage this?

Vesemir racked his brains, recording the plan for the campaign while pondering how to persuade Ianna, who had just been given a divine gift.

But he still couldn't come up with a solution by the time the meeting was about to end.

And now...

As the discussion subsided, the crowd gradually turned their gaze to Vesemir and the amulet peeking out from between his palms.

Vesemir's heart skipped a beat; he knew something was wrong.

"I heard there are nine more Witchers from the School of the Wolf in the temple..." Tissaia looked at Vesemir's dark golden Cat Eyes and said thoughtfully, "Why wasn't the arrangement for these Witchers discussed earlier? Aren't they... involved?"

"The seven young witchers who have just come down from the mountain should not participate; they will be making a kind of Sword Oil for the army. As for Master Vesemir and Sir Ailin..."

Ianna paused, then glanced at Lyra, who was hiding in the corner looking down at her feet, with a complicated expression, before looking at Vesemir.

"Master Vesemir, do you have some other ideas?"