Chapter 73: Second Miracle (4)

“I had some expectations, but… this is beyond imagination.”

Deus sat in a massage chair, trembling with awe. 

A cute and talented junior god. 

Through contact with the mucosa, he had passed on a portion of his own divinity to him, as a reward for enjoying the amusing gift of Rudera, and in hopes that he would grow into a more magnificent god.

!!!

Though he was confident that, considering GM’s talents and potential, he would soon surpass her to become a mighty god…

“But so soon…”

Deus smiled faintly. 

All those who were connected to Rudera across the continent had been healed—instantly, without any side effects. 

Even she couldn’t foresee the repercussions this event would bring.

There was hardly anyone who had not suffered from some illness, or who did not have a family member who was ill.

The entire continent would worship GM.

“Should I serve him now?”

Deus chuckled, eagerly looking forward to the day when he would meet GM, who would grow into a full-fledged god.

Meanwhile, the saint and the pope, connected to Rudera, silently watched the miracle unfold. 

The pope, who had witnessed countless events over his many years, found the sight before him more shocking than any other. 

It was like a scene from a myth, incomparable to any crude miracles of previous saints.

“Eclesia…” The pope’s voice trembled as he spoke. 

But even Saint Eclesia could not believe what her eyes were witnessing.

The evil god GM. 

In the previous world, he had slowly invaded the hearts of the continent’s people with numerous miracles. 

But they were nothing like this. 

At best, they were mere tricks, things barely worthy of being called miracles—like hastily healing a broken arm.

“Healing everyone’s illnesses… This is…!”

It was a feat that not even Deus, whom she believed in and followed, could achieve. 

It was true [salvation] itself. She felt dizzy with confusion.

‘GM’s goal must be to win over the hearts of the people and gradually erode this continent, right?’

Such a miracle wasn’t necessary to accomplish that. 

To cause a miracle like this… It was not an act of malice but… perhaps…

‘A divine being. A true savior?’

Her pupils shook with turmoil. 

The Sword Emperor, who had been watching the broadcast and inputting instructions, was enveloped in light.

Standing in the center of a pillar of light, the Sword Emperor raised a hand to his face, where an eye patch covered one of his eyes—a lost eye from countless battles and conflicts in the past. 

Though many of his wounds had been healed to some extent, this eye, damaged too severely and repeatedly, had never been fully restored.

Yet…

A soft sensation.

“Could this really be…?”

The Sword Emperor removed the eye patch and brought his hand to where there should have been an empty socket, feeling an unfamiliar sensation.

He had regained his lost eye.

“GM… who are you, really…?”

The thought that gods were only for the weak to lean on began to crack in his mind.

[The Day of Miracles]

It was the day the Labyrinth Shop opened, and GM distributed the [Spring of Miracles] to everyone. With the advent of a new miracle, the day’s name changed.

[The First Miracle Day]

It was a distinction from the subsequent [Miracle of Healing].

[The Second Miracle Day]

This referred to the day when all who had followed GM’s words across the continent were healed.

There would be no one to obstruct the path of those who believe in the almighty GM!

After the [Second Miracle Day], the faith in GM expanded explosively.

There had been numerous events—Rudera, the [First Miracle Day], the Duel Tournament, the apostles, and even the broadcast—but until now, not many people had abandoned their existing faith to convert to GM.

Conversion itself is never easy, and moreover, GM did not have a nation established for worship, like the Sacred Kingdom of Deus or the Holy Kingdom of Alia.

The followers of GM’s faith were primarily among those who had no prior faith, like the Beastmen. 

However, even they had only been worshiping GM for a few months. 

They lacked the experience of spreading their religion over a long period, like the Sacred Kingdom or the Holy Kingdom.

Princess Rebecca, who had recently been recognized by all the Beastmen through the Duel Tournament, was organizing them and creating a system. 

Amidst all this, the people of the continent directly witnessed and experienced a miracle.

If the previous miracles were achieved through items, making it feel like GM had opened his treasure vault, this time, a pillar of light descended from the sky to grant healing.

“I, too, will be GM’s servant! I must repay my debt of salvation to the Lord!”

“Where do I go to convert to a follower of GM?”

“What must I do to become an apostle of GM?”

Princess Rebecca found herself suddenly overwhelmed by this unexpected boom in followers.

Already with a lot on her plate, the influx of new believers was becoming too much for her to handle.

‘Through this miracle, my lord will gradually rise to become the greatest god of the continent.’

The greatness of my GM, which only I knew, has been revealed and acknowledged by the world. 

As his servant, she should have been delighted, but a corner of her heart felt discontent.

‘He is mine alone. I am the only true servant and apostle of his. Who are you people to claim him?’

Her face twisted like that of a demon.

“Your Highness.”

“…?”

When she turned around, Brigand, with a worried expression, was standing behind her.

“You’re working too hard.”

After the Duel Tournament, the broadcast, and now reorganizing GM’s followers, he was concerned about the Princess who hadn’t stopped working.

“No matter how much it is for GM, if you overdo it, you will ruin everything. You need to rest a little.”

The Beast King believed she needed rest.

“…No.”

Rebecca closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again.

“I am his only apostle. Only I can understand him. Only I can follow his command. How could I rest?”

“…”

The princess, who once used honorifics with him, had grown cold. 

Though the Beast King wasn’t particularly concerned with such titles, he could see that something about her had completely changed.

“Only I am GM’s ruler. Only I am…”

Elsewhere, Grand Dragon Carthesia watched the Day of Miracles in speechless awe.

Albus, surely, was human. 

She had seen him since he was a child, having abducted him and taught him everything from magic, transforming this crude Rudera into what it is now.

She had always thought of Albus as human. 

Even when hearing news that a new god, Duamutep, had been born through Rudera, she dismissed it as the rise of a minor god—a common enough occurrence.

But…

“This is a whole different level.”

The miracle of healing that covered the entire continent. 

The salvation of all the sick. 

This was not something that could be so easily dismissed.

“Albus… Are you really becoming a god…?”

This could not be explained unless he truly was a god.

On the fourth floor of the Labyrinth Tower, the former Empress Lea, who had led the Empire to its peak, had achieved a partial resurrection within Rudera by preserving her soul, but as a spirit, she could not leave the fourth layer of the Labyrinth.

She had thought…

“So warm…”

Within the pillar of healing light, a warm glow enveloped the Empress.

With her eyes closed, she felt the [Healing Protocol] flow through her entire being.

“This is the light my darling has sent to me.”

Within her, the ripples of enlightenment stirred, born of divine light, ascending to another dimension.

Even though the [Healing Protocol] could heal all illnesses and disabilities, it could not restore what was already dead, so it did not fully revert her spiritual state.

“This is the light to tell me.”

However, through experiencing the power of healing, the Empress awakened to the divinity of healing.

“A hug… from my darling.”

She felt a warmth through the pillar of light. 

Surely, this was a gift from her darling, meant to save her, trapped in this world. 

The healing divinity condensed within her, and soon, flesh began to regenerate, not as a spirit, but as a body.

“Just wait a little longer. I will come to see you soon, my sweet darling.”

The Empress, who had died without ever meeting her match, had resurrected and, after being separated from her ideal partner, had begun to reconstruct her physical form while trapped.