NOVEL NEXT Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Resurrection of the Dead (1)
The hero cried for a long time, cradling the lifeless girl in his arms.
“If only I’d done a little better… If only I’d definitely taken out that snake…”
The hero endlessly berated himself. How pitiful. But who could have predicted this? That the snake, which had fled while the hero was battling a wyvern, would come back to attack this village.
If I had known… If I had killed it, would this village have been safe? Sure, it would have been safe. If that snake had been dead, things would have been fine.
“Oh, God…”
The hero started searching for a deity.
“Oh Goddess of Life, who entrusted me with the heavy burden of being a hero…”
The hero began seeking me out.
“Please… help me…”
The hero said in a weak voice.
“If this is the sin of neglecting the responsibility you’ve given me, I’ll accept it willingly.”
The hero sobbed.
“But shouldn’t that sin be aimed only at me…? This girl hasn’t done anything wrong, has she?”
The hero started crying like a little kid.
“So please… save this girl… Don’t you rule over all life? Please, please, I beg you. I promise I won’t run away from my duty again…”
I let out a small sigh.
“Alright.”
“Big sister…?”
I had somehow appeared right in front of the hero.
“I won’t ask where you’ve been gallivanting off to. You must have had your own troubles.”
That was a lie. I had been watching everything unfold.
I pondered how this child would have lived if the hero hadn’t taken on this duty.
I observed her life among the people in this quaint little village.
Honestly, it didn’t look too shabby.
“B-bigsister…”
“Now, now, you foolish thing.”
The hero clung to me, weeping like a young child. No, he looked even more child-like than when he was younger.
Maybe he regressed or something.
“Big sister… please help me…”
“Okay, I get it. I’ve listened to everything.”
I inspected the girl nestled in the hero’s embrace.
Her arm was broken, her ankle twisted, and her shoulder was covered in rotting wounds from the snake’s venom.
I started examining the girl’s body at various places.
I realigned her broken bone, reset her twisted ankle, and when I placed my hand over the blackened wound, it vanished almost instantly.
“Uh, uh…”
“I haven’t revived her yet. I’ve just cleaned her up. Now let’s find the others.”
“The others…?”
“With this girl in this state, shouldn’t we also look for others? Or is it enough just to revive her?”
The hero’s face turned a bright shade of red, clearly embarrassed.
“Okay, give the girl to me and go retrieve your sword.”
I pointed at the massive snake, with its head pierced, and the hero, slightly flustered, handed the girl over before heading to grab the sword from the snake’s corpse.
Seriously, when will he start acting right? Tsk tsk.
I clicked my tongue, watching the hero’s back, and then took a look at the girl I was holding.
Her body was pristine, without any wounds, but her soul had already departed.
If I hadn’t created the afterlife… her soul would have scattered already, with no way to reclaim it.
But now, things were different.
The afterlife where the departed go — it consists of seven layers, each taking seven days to pass through… If it’s within 49 days post-death, they can be revived.
So for now, let’s also look for the others.
Since I’m reviving them, I might as well do it all at once to save some hassle for those kids.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“B-but can you really bring them back to life?”
“Do you not trust my words?”
“But…”
I smacked the hero on the head with a loud *thwack* and said,
“You were wailing and praying like a madman, so I rushed right over! Am I really that untrustworthy?”
“But bringing the dead back to life… it just doesn’t make sense. How can you even do that?”
“It’s hilarious that the one who was screaming and begging me to bring them back is now saying this.”
At my words, the hero clammed up like a mute who swallowed honey, unable to get another word out.
“Let’s see. Looks like this is the last one.”
After dragging the large man’s body over and gathering all the bodies, I examined the corpses.
It seemed all the villagers of the small town had met their end at the hands of the giant snake.
The girl must have been the snake’s last victim.
Or maybe the villagers attempted to lure the snake away for her sake but failed.
“Put that girl next to them as well.”
“Y-yes!”
The scene was a mess. Not a single body was intact, with some individuals reduced to mere chunks of meat, with just a hand remaining.
Seeing those bodies made the hero’s expression turn somber.
It must be hard to see the villagers he had just spent a little time with in such a state. He had to be starting that self-blame cycle again.
“It’s not your fault.”
“But…”
“If I say it’s not true, you’ll believe it, won’t you? Anyway, let’s get started.”
I began to slowly distribute my life force around.
The fallen bodies gradually regenerated, and the scattered flesh and blood collected, reforming into human shapes.
Even the half-melted bodies that were probably in the snake’s belly began to regenerate. Ugh… not exactly a pleasant sight.
But hey, it’s necessary to fully restore the bodies.
As I spread my life force, the bodies regenerated, and bizarrely, plants even sprouted from the bare ground.
After a short while, the complete bodies of the villagers were lying in the flourishing grass.
“Is it over?”
“No, the real work is just beginning.”
Even if I returned their souls, if there are no bodies, they can’t come back to life, can they?
Anyway, now that we have bodies for the souls to return to, it’s time to bring those souls back.
“I, the one who stands in for the great name of Life, declare.”
Since there are eyes on me, I recite a few meaningless words, sounding all spell-like.
“There are poor souls present here, awaiting resurrection.”
[Thanatos?]
[Yes, Creator Dragon God.]
[Will you restore their souls?]
“By the essence of life that exists, negate their fate.”
[Huh? Suddenly?]
[I ask of you.]
[But…]
“Let their hearts beat again, their blood flow again, and their breath return.”
[Ugh… Understood. Since the Creator Dragon God requests it, I have no choice.]
[Thanks.]
[It’s only because the Creator Dragon God directly asked me. Thankfully, these are just recently deceased, so finding their souls won’t be hard.]
“You shall be revived.”
As my words echoed, the unseen figures of the Grim Reapers could be seen briefly returning the souls of the villagers.
Nice, it looks like all the villagers’ souls have returned.
For the finishing touch, I raised my right hand and proclaimed,
“Resurrection!”
In that moment, the villagers’ hearts began to beat again. With their bodies intact and their souls returned, they should have no problem reviving.
Hearts pounding, breath restoring. It might take some time for them to regain consciousness, but it shouldn’t be long.
“D-did we really… come back to life…?”
The hero gasped in astonishment as he saw the girl starting to breathe. Hmm, did he not believe what I said?
Well, that’s understandable.
Anyway, this was the first time the resurrection magic (not really magic) revealed itself.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Resurrection Magic. The Miracle of Resurrection.
This spell, known as the most famous miracle of the Church of Life, has everyone admiring it, envying it, and taking the Church of Life seriously.
Long ago, it was first used at the request of a nameless hero and is called a spell that doesn’t consume mana, unlike other spells.
While it’s necessary to regenerate the body, it’s merely a process that consumes life force rather than mana.
By invoking the name of [the Mother of All Life], this magic revives the souls of the dead and brings them back to life.
It’s vastly different from any other magic school and can be considered a fantastical magic.
In a sense, it can be called a miracle manifested by invoking the name of [the Mother of All Life].
The most famous users of this resurrection magic are the Dragon Priestesses from the Church of Life and a small number of high priests chosen by the Mother of Life.
However, finding such high priests is like seeing one in a hundred years, and considering that Dragon Priestesses only appear when the world is in crisis… resurrection magic is a rare sight that one wouldn’t even encounter in ordinary times.
But… can this magic really be called magic?
Can a spell that doesn’t use even a ounce of mana be considered magic?
Isn’t it more appropriate to call it a miracle?
– Resurrection Magic. Is it magic, or a miracle?