Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1402 Miracle
In the evening, Leonard Mitchell, known as "Star," brought his lover Sherman to the "St. Teresa's Church" in the West End.

This is the earliest and largest church of the "Church of the End Times" in Backlund. Its architectural style blends features of the Church of the Night and religious architecture from the Thudor period of the Quaternary Age. It has a bell tower, asymmetrical buttresses, and huge stained glass windows. It is also made of a large amount of natural, unpolished obsidian, and its surface looks like it has been poured with solidified lava, presenting a rugged texture, as if it has survived many disasters.

But there is still a shadow of the Church of the Night... However, according to the latest research, the architectural style of the Church of the Goddess is also a continuation of the design before the Great Cataclysm, and the source is the resurrected sun god... Leonard, who has become less respectful of gods because he knows too much about the affairs between gods, pondered this. Seeing that there were not many believers in the church, he took Sherman inside.

His lover was wearing a loose, breathable white dress, holding the baby tightly in her arms, her long brown hair dancing in the breeze, and a serene smile on her face.

The baby in swaddling clothes was the fruit of Leonard and Sherman's love, a boy who had just turned one month old. After getting the old man's permission, Leonard named him Mobert.

Neither of them chose to expel a portion of their low-to-mid-sequence extraordinary traits and pass them on to their child. This was partly because they worried that a child who was born half-extraordinary might harm himself or others; and partly because they wanted Mobert to have a normal childhood until he could truly understand the power and corresponding dangers of the mystical world and then choose a suitable path for himself.

Of course, even if he wanted to live a peaceful life as an ordinary person, Leonard and Sherman had no intention of interfering.

Leonard came to the church of the "Church of the End Times" hoping that Angel Granger, who had become a Great Old One and was also his former colleague, would help him see if there were any hidden dangers in little Mobert, who was born after the war and after the Earth's barrier had disappeared.

As a high-ranking deacon of the Night and the former captain of the "Red Gloves," Leonard has witnessed far too many instances of people coming into contact with cultists or dangerous sealed artifacts during battle, only to have their families perish due to negligence. Although he has become an angel, and Mobert's mother is a powerful saint, and Palles Zoroaster has been taking meticulous care of the child since his birth as if he were a grandchild, Leonard still worries that he might overlook something.

After all, this was his and Sherman's first child, a significant moment for him to become a father!
As soon as they entered the church's enormous prayer hall, which had a high ceiling spanning three stories, a woman with a curvaceous figure, wearing a black robe embroidered with subtle embossed flame patterns and with most of her head covered by a hood, slowly walked towards them.

Leonard immediately recognized the other person as Triss, the archbishop of the church and also its patron saint, and his expression changed slightly.

He remembered his encounter with the other party when he was a Night Watcher in Tingen during a case involving a "witch god's ritual," and he remembered that the other party had been wanted for numerous murders. Now that the other party had transformed into the Archbishop of the Church of the True God, he, as the person directly involved, was somewhat unaccustomed to it. However, since the Great Old One who had almost died at Triss's hands that day had no objections, Leonard naturally had no complaints either.

Moreover, Triss has been atoning for the sins she committed in the past two years. Not only has she helped many ordinary people in Backlund under the guise of missionary work, but she has also spared no effort in fighting cults and extraordinary criminals. Furthermore, she has made many contributions to the development of the "Church of the End Times" and the "Church of Fools" in Backlund and even the whole of Rune, especially in persuading the Rune royal family...

Moreover, it wasn't just her; the angels and saints of the original "Witch Cult" had all been wanted, their hands stained with the blood of ordinary people to varying degrees. If it weren't for the suppression of the benevolent witch above them, they might have already been regarded as an evil cult and eradicated by other righteous churches.

While she was pondering, Archbishop Triss had already exchanged a few words with Sherman, who was holding Mobert. After glancing back at Leonard, she led him toward the altar at the deepest part of the prayer hall, preparing to offer a prayer to the "Calamity" emblem hanging above the altar, composed of symbols of disasters such as lightning and meteorites and a bloodstained throne, asking for blessings.

Leonard had a feeling that the throne looked a bit like the armchair in Klein's house... It must be an illusion. According to the old man, the Great Old Ones should now guide their faith toward the concept of being equivalent to "Source Matter" in order to fight against the original spiritual imprint and the activated consciousness within Source Matter. How could Source Matter look like an armchair? Leonard glanced at the Holy Emblem, but instead of following Sherman forward, he found a seat on the back bench closest to the door and sat down quietly to wait.

Although he believed in the Fool, which meant he was also a half-believer of the "Goddess of Calamity," he was, after all, outwardly a follower of the Night and could not overstep his bounds.

"I can't overstep my bounds..." Leonard froze, just as he was about to lift his right leg off his left knee. He then put it back on the ground, sat up straight, and subconsciously looked around.

Passing by the not-so-large number of believers, his gaze fell on the exquisite murals on both sides of the prayer hall, and he was surprised to find that Angel was depicted on them, of course, as Angelica, the "Angel of Calamity" from the church's sacred texts.

In the scene depicted in the mural, the angel encounters Triss, a sinner who is still lost in her heart, in a simple house in the slums. He explains the Lord's teachings to her and redeems her many times in times of danger, until Triss realizes her mistake, believes in the "Goddess of Calamity," and eventually becomes a saint with her own church.

The largest mural extends all the way to the dome, depicting a sky covered in flames, a bottomless black abyss, and a majestic "angel of misfortune" whose face is hidden in light, with Triss reaching out to him seeking salvation. Their fingertips touch and their eyes meet, giving the viewer the illusion that both body and mind have been redeemed.

I've never heard of this before... Is Triss trying to "piggyback" on Angel's position, or is there some secret I don't know about...? I remember the first time I met Triss, because she injured Klein, Angel's eyes almost seemed to devour her whole. How did she end up dreaming of being a "savior" now...? Leonard thought to himself, carefully examining the mural before looking away after a moment.

He himself will soon own a church named "Saint Leonard" in the eastern part of Backlund, adjacent to the factories in which Sherman has a stake, to appreciate these paintings that symbolize the saint's experiences in order to provide an anchor for faith, naturally in preparation for the same need.

With the war over and the number of saints and angels increasing, the required faith will also rise accordingly. No wonder that the desolate land of the Eastern Continent has become a focus of attention for major churches. "The Fool" has even instructed more than one member of the Tarot Society to explore that land... Now, increasing the population is the most important thing. The whole world should enter a long period of peace and prosperity. Mobert was born at the best time...

His thoughts wandered for a moment, and his gaze shifted, suddenly noticing two young and beautiful women, so captivating that it was hard to look away, talking in a corner of the church.

One of them had bright red hair and a tall figure. She wore tight-fitting clothes that accentuated her figure instead of a skirt, giving her a unique and heroic air. The other wore a skirt and pants popular in Intis, with her smooth black hair piled up at the back of her head, revealing the graceful curves of her nape.

Leonard immediately recognized them. The former was Elaine Soren, the "red-haired woman" who was on file within the Church of the Night and listed as a key target for observation. She was suspected of having ascended to Sequence 3, becoming an "ageless" witch. Her Soren family had recently risen again in Intis, and two angels from the family had participated in the war of apocalypse. One of them, as the "Conqueror," commanded the entire battle and personally slew more than one Outer God angel, leaving a deep impression on Leonard.

This family no longer belongs to the "Steam Church," which holds the dominant faith in Intis, nor has it attempted to restore the Solon dynasty. Instead, they have become followers of the "Goddess of Calamity," and the "ageless" witch before them must be one of them.

The person Leonard had seen on the wanted poster was "Queen of Diseases" Tracy, who was famous for her sudden rise to power and the takeover of "Hurricane Admiral's" fleet. Although she did not commit much bloodshed and rarely attacked ports of various countries, her bounty was not high. However, because she was suspected of being related to the "Witch Cult", she was also on the Church of the Night's list of key targets.

Two years ago, Tracy's entire fleet, along with herself, vanished overnight as if she had never existed. There were even rumors that she had been resurrected as a ghost and joined the remnants of the "Undead King" with her ghost fleet, preparing to "return from the dead" at some point.

Agarito has become Angel's bounty, so could this Queen of Disease be one too...? Leonard found it somewhat amusing, but not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversations of the "Goddess of Calamity's" followers in the church, he was about to turn away and pretend not to know her when he noticed the red-haired Elaine glance at him before striding over. Tracy remained where she was, watching them warily. "Hello, High Deacon of the Church of the Night," Elaine said, sitting down on the bench in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I've heard Sherman mention you before."

"She's Sherman's friend..." Leonard immediately dropped his businesslike expression, revealing a friendly smile, and nodded, saying:

“I’m aware of your situation, Ms. Elaine. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Just as he was beginning to wonder why the other person had taken the initiative to speak, Elaine continued:

"I'd like to know if the Church of the Night has encountered anything like this..."

"One of my crew members was injured in the accident and was supposed to die from his injuries before the ship returned to port. But when his companions were preparing to send him to sea according to tradition, he miraculously woke up and his fatal wounds were completely healed."

"This reminds me of the evil beings that some goddesses have specifically foretold. I suspected that he secretly worshipped some evil god, but after various investigations, I found that there was no such thing. When I tried to pray to the goddess for help, I received a divine revelation that I didn't need to pay attention to this matter..."

Have you, the Church of the Night, encountered similar incidents?

Leonard was taken aback, not because what the other person said was too outlandish, but because he had indeed heard of similar things.

During an attack on a secret stronghold of believers of the "Great Mother," a squad of Punishers was ambushed and seriously wounded. One member died on the spot before the battle was over and he could receive medical assistance.

As his grieving teammates returned to the church with his body to notify his family, the scapegoat suddenly ran out of the basement where the body was kept. After a brief period of panic and confusion, he regained his senses and recognized several teammates and the family members who had arrived.

Naturally, this person who took the punishment was imprisoned as if corrupted by an evil god. Normally, following the custom of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," at least the "Night Watchman" would be asked to help examine the dream and assess the level of danger.

Strangely, the Church of the Night, which knew that the "Great Mother" was the "Fallen Mother Goddess," did not offer any help, and the Church of the Storm did not execute him as they had done before. Instead, they let him go home, as if giving him a long vacation and no longer conducting any investigations, as if they had already recognized that he had not been corrupted or bewitched by the evil god.

Leonard knew that the "Fallen Mother Goddess" had left the star system and that, due to the truce, it was unlikely that she would actively provoke trouble. However, the corruption of the evil god did not necessarily have to go through that ancient being. Even a low-level power could lead to serious consequences. Therefore, he had been paying close attention to this matter. At this moment, he smelled a familiar scent in Elaine's narration.

"When did that crew member die and come back to life?"

He inquired with interest.

"June 2nd, it should be in the afternoon, the day the blood moon suddenly appeared..."

Elaine replied.

That day was the day "doomsday" arrived, the day the Tarot Club suddenly ended, and when all the members, including myself, joined the battle... Leonard's expression changed instantly.

The person who took the punishment was brought back to life on that very day!
So, at the same time the "Fallen Mother Goddess" was driven away, two extraordinary events occurred where the dead were resurrected, seemingly influenced by "rebirth"? No, the possibility that Elaine and I just happened to know about these two events is too low. This means that on that day, there must have been many more miracles of "resurrection" around the world, perhaps more than a hundred... Could this be a means left behind by the "Fallen Mother Goddess" in her unwillingness to accept defeat?

Leonard pondered, hesitating whether to tell the saint in front of him about the "fallen mother goddess". Logically speaking, now that the outer gods have fled and dare not have any mystical contact with the earth, the extraordinary beings below the level of angels would not be corrupted if they knew of their existence, but he dared not take the risk.

Just then, Sherman, carrying Mobert in her arms, walked over side by side with Triss. Leonard, without bothering to explain, greeted his wife and child with a smile.

Of course, he planned to tell "Fool" Klein about this later to see if He had any clues.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"An intelligence officer disappeared after his death, and based on clues at the scene, he is suspected of becoming a zombie and leaving on his own... Why is this being reported to me?"

At the same time, Hugh Deercha, who was also the deputy director of the Tarot Society's "trial" and the military intelligence agency 9 of the Kingdom of Rune, received a piece of intelligence to be processed in his office.

P.S.: There's a bit less content today... Also, as you've probably all noticed, the ending describes the Tarot Club members in the order they joined, while also showcasing the "post-apocalyptic" setting. There are currently three members left: Judgment, Chariot, and "World," who joined early but is essentially the last. There are probably only 2-3 chapters left in the main story. I've also left quite a few opening lines here, intended as clues for a longer side story, so some parts might be a bit dry...

(End of this chapter)