Just became an evil god and was summoned by the saint

“A heretic?” Marina frowned. “We have nothing here, why would a heretic target this place? Is there some treasure in this lake?”

"No, there are no treasures here, Miss Marina. Tell me how you discovered the anomaly, and what the specifics of the anomaly are."

"The unusual occurrence dates back to a month ago when Uncle Jack from the village and his friends went fishing at Lake Bea, where they caught white fish that they had never seen before."

Marina looked at Lake Bea: "The fish in this lake are not abundant, there are only a few kinds of small fish. At that time, the white fish that looked like a whale attracted the attention of the whole village. However, I felt a strange magical fluctuation on that fish. Instead of letting everyone eat it, I killed it and buried it in the back mountain."

“The correct approach,” Ross affirmed. “The flesh of the white whale is delicious and nutritious, and it greatly benefits mages. However, fish affected by the summoning circle contain only magic from the abyss, which is ‘pollution.’ They are otherwise nutritionally identical. Eating these polluted fish will only cause the pollution to accumulate in your body.”

Celia selectively relayed Ross's words to Marina, who patted her chest in surprise, "Thank goodness, we almost turned Bea Village into a cult stronghold."

"And then?" Celia asked.

"After that, we caught a lot of white fish in Lake Bea and the rivers upstream and downstream. Until half a month ago, Emma's youngest son went fishing and went missing. When we found him, his body had been gnawed and was in a terrible state..."

"I'm usually very busy with classes and don't have time to deal with this. I just told everyone not to eat this fish. It wasn't until this happened that I realized things weren't that simple."

"However, I investigated the entire water source and still couldn't find where the anomaly came from. All I know is that the white fish in the river already possess the strength to fight me. I had no choice but to post a quest with the Mercenary Guild, but..."

Marina sighed. "The people who accept these commissions have very high demands; some even want girls from the village as their servants. And they don't have the ability to resolve anomalies. A week ago, I discovered that white fish, possibly second-tier, had appeared in Lake Bea..."

It's a very simple story: villagers discovered white fish and almost ate the mutated cultists. Marina stopped them, but they couldn't find the source of the mutation. Eventually, the mutation became more and more dangerous until now, when Celia has arrived.

"How do I dispel the summoning circle, my God?" Celia asked Ross in her mind.

Such a large summoning array was beyond the capabilities of a novice sorcerer like her who had only recently become a sorcerer.

Her magic circle class only taught her some common first-tier magic circles. She felt that any node in this large-scale summoning magic circle was more complex than what she learned at school.

You either need to ask Ross for help, or go back to the school for help...

Need help?

Celia suddenly thought of a question: "Don't you think this has anything to do with heresy? If it does, you can always ask the Holy Court for help. There's a temple of the Holy Court in Snow Fir Town."

Marina paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I also suspected it might be related to heresy, but..."

"Just what?"

Marina said helplessly, "If the Holy Court could send someone, why would I need to post a commission at the Mercenary Guild?"

As she spoke, she said indignantly, "The Holy Court is full of hypocrites. The priest of the Snow Cedar Town Temple said that I did not have a devout heart towards the gods, and that there was no heresy in Snow Cedar Town. He warned me that if I spread rumors again, he would make me atone for my sins."

Celia was furious: "Are you sure? That's what the priest of Cedar Town said?"

Marina nodded. "The priest told me to go to the Mercenary Guild to post a commission. The temple is very busy. Don't bother him unless you're going to buy indulgences."

She scoffed, "With this kind of behavior, the Holy Court deserves to be divided into four empires."

Celia fell silent.

Ross smiled and said, "There's a saying that seeing is believing, hearing is deceiving. This summoning circle has just reached the third stage, and there's still a week before the fourth stage."

"I understand." The girl took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Miss Marina, I will help you resolve this matter."

Marina had a feeling that the 'matter' that Celia was talking about didn't just refer to the anomaly at Lake Bea.

“No rush, let’s go. It’s getting late, Miss Celia. The village chief has probably prepared a sumptuous dinner for us. Let’s have dinner first, and then we can think about a solution,” Marina said with a smile.

Ross didn't tell her how to resolve the summoning circle, and Celia didn't say anything. She felt that even without Ross, she could find a way to resolve the anomaly herself.

One person can't solve the problem? Then call in more people!

Chapter 32 The Saintess's Deduction

The dinner in Beya Village was quite lavish for the villagers, with both vegetarian and meat dishes, but it was still a bit lacking compared to the dining hall of the Holy Magic Academy.

Celia was not picky about the food, and everyone enjoyed the meal. Celia then went to the room that Marina had arranged.

A room that resembles a student dormitory.

"I'm so sorry, this is the best room we have here. Please excuse the poor quality, Celia. This is an empty room left over from the graduation of the last batch of students. Please don't mind."

Celia noticed the key phrase: "Students? Is this a school?"

The village is neither too big nor too small. If it were a town, it would meet the requirements for running a school, but that would be a town with a flow of people, while this is a remote mountain village.

Marina nodded shyly. "Yes, this is the school I helped build for everyone. The students are children from the village who are of school age but don't have the means to leave the mountains. I'm the only teacher."

This was something Celia hadn't expected; this unassuming sorceress was actually a village schoolteacher.

"It's shocking. I never imagined that a remote village could have a school and teachers. Even in towns, only families with good financial conditions can afford to send their children to school."

Celia was filled with awe.

"It's just something I like," Marina smiled. "I won't disturb Miss Celia's rest any longer. Sweet dreams."

"..."

Not long after Marina left, just as Celia was about to meditate, Ross's voice came.

"Tsk tsk, this is no ordinary school, it's a magic school."

Celia suddenly opened her eyes.

"What? A magic school?"

There was a school in the small village; she was at most just shocked.

But if you say this school is a magic school, then it's not shock, it's fear.

Magic is not something everyone can learn; it requires talent, otherwise, you'll only achieve half the results with twice the effort.

If a small town can support the establishment of a small magic academy, it will soon be upgraded to a medium-sized town, attracting countless people. The Holy Court will also come and open a temple as assistance.

Moreover, magic schools cannot be opened casually; they require a complicated review process before they can receive assistance from the Sorcerer's Guild and the Royal Court to set up shop.

In addition, the school must have qualified teachers, complete teaching materials, and sufficient magical materials as support.

In short, when Celia heard that Bea Village had a magic school, her first reaction was absurdity, followed by fear.

"There's only one possibility for a magic school to be opened in a remote area that the Holy See doesn't know about—it's run by a heretic."

Like seeing the sun after the clouds have parted, everything became clear, and Celia immediately connected all the circumstances.

The villagers refused to move due to the unusual water source next to the village, and there was a magic school in the village, which only a heretical sect would run in secrecy.

Doesn't this mean that this village is a gathering place for heretics, and that they are the culprits behind the mutation?!

Celia launched into a brainstorming session, revealing all her reasoning without reservation, which Ross easily discerned.

Ross was both amused and exasperated: "Your reasoning skills are truly... impressive."

The process was entirely correct, but the result was entirely wrong.

"So Lord Ross is certain that this village is a gathering place for heretics?" Celia asked hastily.

"If that's the case, what would you do?" Ross didn't give a definite answer; instead, he asked.

Celia said firmly, "I will find evidence that they are heretics, and then go to the temple to summon the high priest!"

"What if no evidence is found?"

“No evidence found…” Celia thought for a moment, “If they are heretics, they would not escape my senses no matter how they try to cover it up. If there is no evidence, it means my guess is wrong.”

The thought that she might have infiltrated a cult immediately killed any thought of meditation in Celia.

She jumped off the bed.

"I'll go walk around the village now and see if there's anything unusual about them."

Ross did not stop it.

He wanted to see if Celia, given a preconceived notion of the outcome, would work backward from the result to deduce the process, or would she ignore the reasoning and simply check for any problems?

It is certain that there are heretics in Beya Village.

No one can escape Ross's eyes.

So, Ross was hoping for one thing—would the discovery of hidden heretics by Celia lead to the conclusion that the entire village was a heretical stronghold?

It looks like it'll be really interesting.

Ross decided to give Celia a hint if she couldn't find anything unusual when she approached the heretics.

"It really is a school." After leaving the student dormitory and coming down, Celia sensed some movement on the other side of the wall. She quietly flew over to take a look and found about a dozen boys and girls doing some activities there.

Some people are learning fireballs...fire magic; some are wielding wooden swords; and others are practicing sparring, their punches landing with real force.

In the crowd, Celia spotted a familiar face: Marina.

She was standing next to two students who were wrestling, watching them intently.

"Remember, during sparring, you should fill your entire body with magic, and use magic to adjust the areas that are attacked, thereby strengthening your body."

"Fight as you please, but don't let it escalate, or I won't hold back."

"..."

Celia secretly observed and carefully watched the students' training, as well as Marina's teaching.

"Is Marina really the only sorcerer mentor? Her teaching methods... don't seem like those of the heretics."

The girl frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"Whether it's during the day or now, Miss Marina, I don't sense any trace of heretics."

After muttering to herself, Celia explained to Ross, "I am a prospective saintess, and I am naturally opposed to heretics. No matter how well heretics hide, I can detect their traces with my senses, but Miss Marina has no traces at all."

"I see." Ross didn't say anything, but he felt that perhaps he didn't need to remind her; Celia would be able to discover the traces of the heretics' activities on her own.

After watching for a while, Celia quietly left and wandered around the village.

It's already night, and apart from the school where students are working late into the night, and a few houses with lights on, everything else is pitch black.

Celia wandered around the houses that were still lit up, and apart from a few houses where embarrassing sounds were coming from, she didn't find anything unusual.

Until she came to a dilapidated wooden house.

Celia remembered this house; it seemed to be the house of Uncle Jack from earlier that day.

During the day, although she did not specifically seek out any unusual behavior from the passing villagers, she would not let anyone who dared to cross her face go unnoticed.

Uncle Jack is not a heretic.

Celia glanced at the cabin and was about to walk past it when suddenly, a strange sensation entered her senses.

She immediately stopped, turned around, and looked at Uncle Jack's house.

"There are signs of contamination... Is Uncle Jack a heretic?"

Chapter 33 The Idol of an Unknown God

is it?

No?

Celia checked the time; it was only a short time after nightfall. Even if the lights were off, it didn't mean she was fast asleep.

Even if they're asleep... Celia is determined to find out the truth.

Perhaps this is the key to breaking the deadlock.

Knock knock knock!

Celia knocked on Uncle Jack's door.

A moment later, Jack's voice came from inside.

"Who is it? It's so late."

“It’s me, Celia, who came during the day.”

"Ah? Sorcerer?"

Jack's words were full of surprise. There was a rustling sound coming from inside. After a long while, the door creaked open, and Jack, dressed in thin clothes, appeared in front of Celia.

Upon seeing Celia, he paused for a moment before awkwardly asking, "My lady, is there something you need?"

Many villagers came during the meal, including Jack. From Marina's few words, he learned that Celia might be able to resolve the anomaly at Lake Bea, confirming that she was no ordinary sorcerer.

Of course, even a regular sorcerer is a different species to ordinary people.

Celia stared into Jack's eyes and said, "Mr. Jack, I'm investigating the anomalies in Bea Village. I've discovered traces of a cult here... Do you know what a cult is?"