Chapter 3: Lynn Church — To Become the Shield and Spear for the Rest of My Life!

Inside the church.

Liz still knelt in place.

Maintaining her one-knee posture, she lifted her head.

Her gaze was locked firmly upon the hovering phantom of the western-winged angel.

Golden armor shimmered, holy radiance flowed like feathers.

That aura of majesty and compassion wrapped warmly around her body—

It felt like returning to her mother’s embrace, stirring a deep sense of longing.

As for the eight-pointed cross emblem on Liz’s chest—

That dark fragment of bone was emanating continuous heat, as if resonating with this miracle.

“Angel… My lord…”

Liz’s dry throat finally forced out a sound, trembling with disbelief.

She was no longer that weary knight who had seen through the hypocrisy of the Church and scoffed at miracles.

A decade of faith reduced to ruins—

Was now being rebuilt by the pure, warm light of redemption before her!

The angelic phantom inclined its head ever so slightly.

Its blurred visage seemed to reveal a faint trace of approval.

The hand it had raised did not withdraw, but instead extended gently toward Liz.

A golden beam, even stronger than before, descended—

And in an instant, merged into Liz’s body.

“Ugh!”

Liz groaned, her body trembling violently.

But it was not pain.

It was an indescribable comfort surging through every fiber of her being.

The exhaustion built from long journeys, desperate battles—

All of it—

Was now gently soothed and wiped away by a warm, unseen hand.

The deep wound on her left arm—

Which had festered and swollen from lack of medicine—

Now, under the golden light—

Healed at a speed visible to the naked eye: closing, scabbing, falling off, revealing new flesh!

Not only that—

Even the hideous scar that had long marred her face had completely vanished,

Revealing her naturally delicate and well-defined features.

But what shocked Liz most—

Was the nearly forgotten source of her inner strength, the battle energy that had long run dry.

That faint light belonging to the Knights of the Temple—

Like a riverbed long parched, was once again being filled with life-giving rain.

It began to stir, to flow!

It was the power of the Holy Light!

The long-lost, pure power born of faith!

This—this was not an illusion!

It was real divine grace!

A true miracle manifested upon her body!!

Ecstasy, awe, reverence—

An overwhelming shock akin to rebirth made Liz tremble uncontrollably.

She no longer hesitated.

She lowered her head deeply, pressing her forehead against the cold, dust-covered stone floor.

Her voice, choked with emotion, echoed through the church:

“Praise You! O Supreme Father!”

“Thank You! Holy Lord who guards this land!”

“Your humble servant, Liz Hawke, shall offer this broken life and sword to You!”

“From this moment forth—this body, this heart—shall serve as the Sanctuary’s shield! As the believers’ spear!”

Her vow, firm and resounding, echoed through the vast church hall.

Every word Liz spoke came from the depths of her soul.

And Lynn could sense her sincerity.

He began to extend a faint thread of divine consciousness, gently touching Liz’s will.

No words—

Only a warm and steady intent was conveyed.

【Ye who believe in Me, I shall protect ye.】

【This place shall be the Sanctuary, sheltering all life.】

Liz trembled once more!

She suddenly looked up, her eyes shining with divine light.

She had *heard* it—clearly!

Not through her ears,

But through a will that resounded directly in the depths of her soul!

This was divine revelation!

The great and merciful Holy Lord—

Had personally responded to His humble servant!

“I shall obey Your will, my Holy Lord!”

Liz bowed deeply again.

Only after the golden angelic phantom faded completely—

Did she rise to her feet.

Her movements no longer heavy—

Instead, filled with the agility of one reborn, she strode out of the church’s doors.

The sight before her—

Made her eyes well with tears.

The suffocating miasma of despair that once blanketed the land—

Was now entirely swept away!

In its place—

Came the joy of survival after calamity, the gratitude of renewed faith!

Everyone knelt upon the ground,

Facing the radiant church, kissing the soil beneath their lips,

Weeping and praying.

The pot of porridge still released its fragrant aroma—

That, too, was tangible divine grace.

Especially upon seeing Liz emerge—

Her completely restored, beautiful face, and the surging Holy Light she could no longer conceal—

The refugees could not restrain themselves, bursting into louder cries of awe.

“Lady Liz, your wounds… they’re all healed?!”

“Yes, Aunt Liz, you look so pretty now!”

“It must be the Holy Lord showing Himself again! He granted Lady Liz new power!!”

“Heavens! A Sanctuary! This truly is a Sanctuary! A land of the divine!!”

“And Lady Liz has become God’s messenger!!”

The crowd erupted in discussion.

Especially Seans—the man who had once cursed faith as useless—

His face now flushed with shame, he lowered his head,

Beating his chest hard.

“I… I was blind!”

“I desecrated true holiness!”

“Ah~ Forgive me, O Holy Lord! I shall spend my remaining life in repentance before You!!”

Seans began slamming his forehead into the ground again and again,

Soon drawing blood.

Seeing this, Liz hurried to lift him up and shouted to the crowd:

“Rise, everyone!”

“The grace of the Supreme Father has descended upon this land!”

“The Holy Lord shelters this Sanctuary!”

“He has heard our prayers—granted us food, granted us hope!”

Liz raised her sword high.

The tip pointed toward the church spire glowing with golden light in the twilight.

“This place!”

“Shall be our land of rebirth! The soil where our faith takes root! The bastion from which we defy the darkness!”

“With my sword and blood as witness—Liz Hawke shall guard this Sanctuary, and all of you, until the end of my life!”

“Now—let us, with pious hearts, give thanks to our Lord! To the Guardian Angel!”

“Praise our Lord! Praise the Guardian Angel!”

The prayers of dozens erupted like a storming tide—

Filled with unprecedented devotion—

They pierced through the silence of the forest, rising straight to the heavens!

Lynn watched quietly.

Every face illuminated by tears and hope,

Every heartfelt prayer—

Flowed toward him like countless streams merging into a river of pure faith.

The numbers on the panel trembled slightly.

Though they no longer surged upward, their foundation was now firm beyond doubt.

“A sanctuary for believers…”

“From this day forth, this church shall be named ‘Lynn Church.’”

With his own name,

Lynn effortlessly bestowed a title that would one day echo across the ages.

Yet—

The fervent cries of Liz and the others—

Had also drawn the attention of unclean things.

Lynn’s divine sense keenly detected a strange disturbance!

The wind—

Carried with it a scent from the distant forest.

A chilling, sticky malice filled with decay and bloodlust silently spread from within the woods.

“The stench of corruption…”

“Could it be those ‘ghouls’ they spoke of, the ones who pursued them here?”

Lynn’s expression turned grave.

His divine sense locked firmly in the direction of that foul aura.

No matter what—

He would never allow his first believers to be devoured by ghouls!

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