The golden rain of holy light fell from the sky, like the merciful tears of the Goddess, gently scattering across the square filled with pain and wailing.
[Holy Healing: Rain of Light], a second-circle high-tier divine magic.
Eleanor had exhausted her mana, barely managing to control that immense power.
When the specks of light touched the believers who were convulsing and groaning, a miracle occurred.
Those twisted faces gradually relaxed, and that excruciating pain that felt like it was tearing people apart began to ease.
However, it was merely a relief.
Though the holy light was powerful, it could not fundamentally expel that insidious poison which had already seeped into bone marrow and blood.
It was like a potent painkiller, temporarily suppressing the effects of the toxin, giving those people a chance to catch their breath from the brink of death.
But the toxin still lurked within their bodies, ready to surge back at any moment.
A miracle had appeared. Amid their panic, people saw salvation!
Though the pain hadn’t completely vanished, seeing this, the believers who hadn’t yet collapsed erupted in cheers as if they had survived a calamity.
They knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves in worship toward the figure on the high platform, tears mingling with dirt as they streamed down their faces.
Eleanor didn’t feel relieved by the cheers. Her face pale, she leaned on her staff, barely managing to stay upright.
She could feel that those cheers, though enthusiastic, carried within them an extremely unstable fear and panic. Like a powder keg about to explode, needing only a single spark to detonate again.
“Hurry! Move faster!”
She turned and issued orders loudly to the clergy who had just arrived behind her.
“All healers! Disperse into the crowd immediately! Prioritize treating those with severe symptoms! Don’t be stingy with your mana! You must stabilize their vital signs!”
“Holy Paladin Order! Expand the defensive line another ring! Don’t let anyone near those vomit stains!”
Under her direction, the church members who had been in complete chaos finally found their anchor.
Before long, nearly all clergy still on standby throughout the city had arrived at the festival site.
White-robed priests moved among the wounded, soft healing lights glowing in their hands.
The heavily armored holy paladins held up their shields, forming an unbreakable wall of flesh, sealing off the chaos and panic.
But this was a festival with tens of thousands in attendance.
There were simply too many people in the square.
Though the Church and the city sentinels had deployed in full force, against such a massive crowd, it still felt like a drop in the bucket.
The panic didn’t fully dissipate with the holy rain’s arrival; instead, it grew more suffocating because of that unknown fear.
“My child is still suffering! Why didn’t the holy light heal him? Is the Saintess’s power insufficient?”
“Have we been abandoned?”
Voices of doubt began to emerge from the crowd.
Though quiet, they were like a spark dropped into a pile of dry hay, spreading rapidly.
If Eleanor couldn’t find a way to completely solve this problem, couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation and promise, then soon this unrest would reignite and erupt with even greater ferocity.
And at that moment, Archbishop Duran, who had been sitting at the other side of the altar watching coldly like an idle bystander, finally made his move.
He cleared his throat and straightened the new, luxurious red robe he was wearing.
“Cough, cough.”
He didn’t look at Eleanor, who was desperately trying to maintain control of the situation. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the chaotic crowd below.
There was no pity in that look, no concern.
Only the greed and smugness of a hunter watching his prey fall into a trap.
“Move out.”
He gave a low order to his trusted aides.
Then, this elderly archbishop actually disregarded his status and personally descended from the high platform.
The areas with the most severe unrest were precisely the targets he and his men had already set their sights on.
They didn’t announce their healing intentions like the other clergy. Instead, as if they had been prepared all along, they made their way into the crowd first.
“Everyone, don’t be afraid! Don’t panic!”
Duran’s voice, amplified by amplification magic, was booming and full of authority, drowning out even the noise of the square.
“The Goddess has not abandoned us! The Church has not abandoned you!”
He walked up to a mother sobbing while holding her child, disregarded the filth on the ground, crouched down, and extended that hand covered in jeweled rings, gently stroking the child’s forehead.
“Poor child…”
Duran said with a compassionate expression: “Don’t worry, this is just a small trial the Goddess has given us. As long as your faith is sincere, there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome.”
He even personally used holy light to heal the child.
In just a few seconds, the child who had been groaning in pain actually stopped convulsing, and his breathing became much steadier.
Though his face was still pale, that deathly, ashen aura was noticeably fading.
The surrounding crowd began to stir, unconsciously gathering toward Duran.
All of this was observed by Helos and her group, standing on the other side of the high platform.
Helos stared intently at the old man surrounded by the crowd.
Just then, Duran seemed to notice their gaze.
He looked up, and through the surging crowd, flashed a meaningful smile at Helos and Eleanor.
Then, before Helos and the others could act, Duran made another move.
He didn’t continue healing people. Instead, he stood back up and walked to the very center of the crowd, making sure everyone could see him.
He raised both hands, gesturing for everyone to be quiet.
Duran’s voice rang out again. This time, his tone carried an unprecedented gravity and seriousness.
“Dear believers! Dear children of the Goddess!”
“I have found the cause!”
“This is not a natural disaster! Nor is it some simple illness!”
He pointed at the wounded lying on the ground and declared loudly: “This is a toxin! A special alchemical toxin!”
The moment these words were spoken, the crowd that had somewhat calmed down exploded once again.
“Toxin?!”
“Is someone poisoning the holy water?!”
“Why would there be toxin? Isn’t that holy water?”
Panic spread once more.
People couldn’t understand why that deadly poison could be mixed into the holy water and holy eucharist, which symbolized purity and blessing.
“Quiet! Everyone quiet!”
Duran used amplification magic to project his voice to every corner of the square, suppressing all the voices of doubt.
“Her Holiness the Saint’s holy light is powerful, but it can only heal wounds; it cannot neutralize poison. That’s why the rain of light earlier could only alleviate everyone’s suffering, not eradicate the toxin!”
These words seemed to be making excuses for Eleanor, but in truth, they were subtly undermining the Saintess’s ability while elevating himself to a position of authority who could see through the truth.
“Evil heretics must be at work! Those accursed cultists have infiltrated our sacred festival, despising our faith!”
Duran roared with righteous indignation: “They envy our happiness, which is why they would commit such a heinous act!”
“But! Everyone, rest assured!”
He thumped his chest in guarantee: “As the Church’s archbishop, I will never let any perpetrator who harms you go free! Even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I will drag that poisoner out!”
“I have already issued orders to seal off the entire city! We will investigate this matter with all our might!”
This passionate, grand rhetoric immediately ignited the crowd’s emotions. People’s panic gradually transformed into anger at the “heretics” and trust in this archbishop who dared to take responsibility.
Seeing that the moment was ripe, Duran suddenly shifted his tone.
“Furthermore…”
His voice softened somewhat, as if to soothe people’s hearts.
“Regarding this toxin, everyone need not panic excessively.”
“I have already conducted a preliminary analysis. Though this toxin is painful when it takes effect, it is not lethal!”
“It merely weakens the body and temporarily deprives one of mobility.”
“Moreover… through the treatment just now, I have grasped the key clues to counteracting the toxin!”
“Therefore, we will certainly be able to formulate an antidote! So, I hope everyone can give us some time! Even if it’s for yourselves, for your families, please remain calm and cooperate with our efforts!”
At these words, the crowd that had been on the verge of losing control finally settled down completely.
Though there were still quite a few dissatisfied voices, still people groaning in pain, compared to the situation before—where a stampede or riot could have erupted at any moment—things were now entirely within manageable bounds.
After all, those four words, “not lethal,” were the greatest reassurance for people who valued their lives.
As long as they wouldn’t die, there was still hope.
On the high platform, Eleanor watched Duran below, receiving the cheers and trust of the crowd.
Her fingers gripped her staff tightly. She knew Duran was lying.
She knew he was using this disaster to gain political capital for himself.
But as the Saintess, as the highest authority here, under these circumstances, she couldn’t refute him, and she couldn’t afford to.
If she were to step forward and accuse Duran now, not only would she have no evidence, but she would also plunge the barely stabilized situation back into chaos.
If that happened, the ones who would suffer would only be the innocent commoners.
She could only grit her teeth and swallow the bitterness.
“…The Archbishop is right.”
Eleanor spoke again. Though her voice was calm, it carried an indescribable weariness and reluctance.
“Please trust the Church. We will definitely resolve this matter.”
She could only echo Duran’s words.
This was for the greater good, and to protect those she wanted to protect.
And behind her, Helos was not resigned like Eleanor.
She kept staring at Duran’s face, at the cunning gleam flashing in that old fox’s eyes.
A huge question kept swirling in her mind, refusing to go away.
Something was wrong.
Something was very wrong.
Even she, an alchemist specializing in alchemy and even aided by Ultimate Alchemy, couldn’t identify at first glance that this was caused by alchemical toxin.
Even Julius, the chosen one who was most sensitive to evil auras, only detected that faint sense of discomfort at the very last moment.
In other words, this toxin was extraordinary. It couldn’t possibly be an ordinary alchemical product.
Its concealment, its activation mechanism—all of it defied common sense.
So how could Duran, without even needing to examine it carefully, so confidently determine that this toxin wasn’t lethal in such a short time?
Without knowing the toxin’s composition, without even locating the source of the poison, how could he so confidently claim he could produce an antidote?
Either he was lying, and this was merely a delaying tactic.
But the consequence of that would only be postponing the detonation of the bomb by a little while.
And judging by his confident demeanor, it didn’t seem like a delaying tactic at all.
Unless…
Helos’s pupils contracted sharply.
Unless he already knew what this poison was, or even…