Blade of the Goddess
Chapter 120 - Earning the peoples trust

Chapter 120: Chapter 120 - Earning the peoples trust

In a massive hall only used by people of the church, every active, retired, and former member of the church stood in awkward silence, waiting for Zion to speak. It didn’t matter what rank they were, how long or short they served for, or what position they held; anyone who was a member of the church, not including the masses, was there.

"Is that him?"

"No way, right?"

"I can’t believe it!"

"Oh, goddess, thank you for answering our prayers."

"This has to be a joke."

"Lord Zion, please bless us!"

"Tsk, what a waste of time."

The crowd was filled with mixed opinions. Some were on their knees praising Zion, some were in shock or disbelief, a few were skeptical, while others just straight up didn’t believe that Zion was a divine apostle.

"I know you all might have doubts, and I know some of you might even hold hatred to Luminera, but trust me when I say, she’s back and she’s here to stay. I, Zion Zagan, her Apostle, shall serve not only her, but you all to the best of my abilities. Your faith, your dedication, and your service to the goddess shall not go unrewarded."

He lifted his hand, blessing everyone with divine light.

"From this day forward, I’ll work hard to rebuild our land, serve our people, and bring glory to Luminera’s name. Thank you, you may all return. We shall have a meeting in two days time."

After everyone left, Zion sat down with Farissa and Helen.

"So? Were there any problems?" Farissa asked.

"Recently, just now in fact, I’ve learned the difference between a normal blessing and a divine blessing. A normal one would just bring warmth to a person’s body, clear their mind, and heal their wounds. A divine one, which is only dedicated to Luminera’s followers who work in the church, would transform their mana into holy power, strengthen their bodies, and a connection made of their faith will form, linking me and Luminera to them. Out of the 600 people you’ve brought before me, only 200 of them were bathed in divine light."

"Those traitors!" Farissa yelled in anger.

"What shall we do with the 400 that aren’t believers?" Helen asked.

"Nothing for now. I’ll mark them with my holy power so you all can know who is and isn’t a believer, but we’ll get rid of them after I deal with the criminal underground."

"I’ll get my men to document their every move." Helen bowed, vanishing from the spot.

"Let’s go, Farissa, I have a public announcement to make."

---

The members of the church did as they were told, gathering everyone into the City Square so Zion could make an announcement. There were about 5,000 people who arrived and a few hundred who didn’t show up.

It wasn’t a long speech, but a powerful one. He addressed the issues this place faced, as well as the poverty and loss of faith in Luminera. He sympathized with the unfortunate, and he loathed the criminal activity that plagued this holy land.

As long as everyone pledged their lives to Luminera, he would promise them five things. Safety and Security, Education, Food and Water, and a roof over their heads, and clothes on their backs.

To ensure his words hit home, he blasted Holy Power into the air, spreading fertility to the land, which made plants and green life grow. The dirty water was purified, and the disgusting smell vanished. Everyone who suffered injuries or some sort of sickness was instantly healed and back to full health.

A barrier erected out of divine energy enshrouded the entire City of Light, stretching from border to border, which would protect everyone from harm and notify the church when someone entered and exited their land.

Finally, Zion brought out loads of food, which included bread, meat, fruits, vegetables, water, and brand new clothing for everyone to wear.

At first, people were skeptical when he started delivering his speech. They saw him as just another person who would make false promises and would exploit them. But when they saw his holy power, their eyes widened with shock and disbelief.

They thought that maybe they would be saved. Maybe they had a chance at living a good life. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

Then he healed everyone and put a barrier around the city. Turned the brown, run-down place into something full of color. And to put the cherry on top, they were given food, water, and clothing.

They sang praises in his name, in Luminera’s name. They bowed, they prayed, they cried, they laughed, they hugged one another, and their faith returned.

Zion felt everyone’s faith being restored. As for the people who never stopped believing, he could feel how strong it became. There were those who didn’t believe, who didn’t have faith, and who didn’t like him being there, but it was okay. Zion believed that with time, people would come around, and if not, he’ll get rid of them.

"And finally, all medical aid and treatments will be done FOR FREE, no matter what. So don’t be afraid to come to us if you need help. No longer do you have to spend your money just to get help, and no longer do you have to lose your homes just to cure your loves. Without you all, the church is nothing, so it is wrong to take away your livelihoods just for a piece of metal."

At that point, the people were sold.

"Thank you, Lord Zion!"

"Praise Luminera! Praise Zion!"

"I’ve always believed this day would come."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"We love you, Lord Zion!"

Zion waited until the last bit of food, water, and clothing were all gone. He made sure everyone got a fair share and was able to provide for their families.

After everything was over, Zion, along with the others, returned to the Church. "Farissa, when you arrive back at the church, you’ll find a woman named Jill waiting for you. She is the head of my Church Division, who dedicated herself to the goddess and spread the teachings of Luminera to those under her. Since you’re the saintess, you’re a part of the main faces of the church, so you’ll work with her to get things done. There are about 500 people from my end who will serve the church and have been given a Divine Blessing."

"Yes, Lord Zion. Will I have to teach these new people?" She wondered

"No, they are already groomed and ready for service. Nuns and Monks, Holy Knights, Inquisitors, Priests and Priestesses, Paladins, Saints and Saintesses, and finally the Pope. I’ve trained my people for all of these positions. Jill will tell you the positions of my people and where they will serve. Since you are a saintess, Jill won’t take your position, however, she will later become the Pope, since I could feel that he isn’t a believer." He answered

Farissa nodded, understanding everything he said. She even thought about ways to improve the system and shared it with Zion, but he told her to handle those things through Jill since she will be in charge of those affairs.

"Also, Frarissa, why are you a knight when you’re a saintess. Shouldn’t you be more of a supporter with spell casting?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh, that? Well, it was because we didn’t have a Paladin. I’m sure you know this, but a saintess and a paladin go together, but we didn’t have one, so I had to practice both the sword and healing. Thankfully, I have the wood element, which allowed me to have this position in the first place. But now, with holy power coursing through me, I can serve my purpose finally." She smiled, happy that everything was finally looking up.

Zion added, understanding her position. "Thanks for letting me know. There is a woman named Eclipsa who’ll be the new paladin for the church. Make sure you two work together."

"Understood, Lord Zion."

Before Zion left, he said one last thing. "Oh, and before I forget, I want you to separate the believers and non-believers from each other in the church. We’ll keep the non-believers here where it’s close and give them tasks so they think they’re being useful. For the believers, you can have them do their jobs normally. When it’s time, we’ll get rid of them in one fell swoop."

Farissa smiled, her expression darker than it should be. "I can’t wait to purge those traitors from this earth."