I Started My Redemption by Raising Believers in the Wasteland-Chapter 30 : Colin Becomes a Priest, and the Others Are Both Envious and Filled with Drive

Chapter 30: Colin Becomes a Priest, and the Others Are Both Envious and Filled with Drive
Another early morning.
The thin mist had yet to disperse completely.
Birds chirped merrily in the forest.
The residents of Holy Light Town—
In twos and threes, rubbing their sleepy eyes, made their way toward Lynn Church.
Morning prayer had become as natural to them as eating or drinking—an unshakable habit.
Colin adjusted the new pair of glasses he had specially bought and followed the crowd inside.
He had been pondering over the camp’s layout until midnight last night.
Drainage routes were still running through his mind, and his eyelids felt heavy.
But the moment he stepped through the church’s main doors—
That familiar warm aura enveloped him.
His drowsiness vanished instantly.
That was one of the many reasons everyone came to the church so eagerly each day.
It felt so comforting!
Inside the church—
The spacious hall was filled with rows upon rows of brand-new wooden pews.
The cracked stone pillars, crumbling walls, and broken stained-glass windows had all been repaired or replaced.
Some were even engraved with simple, elegant patterns that made them both sturdy and pleasant to the eye.
At the very front, the angel statue—
Remained just as it had before, standing solemnly before the altar.
Everyone held deep reverence for the Angel’s statue.
They wouldn’t dare touch it—
Even when cleaning, they used the softest cloths, lightly dusting it from a distance.
The damaged wings?
The indistinct face?
No one dared entertain the thought of restoring them.
Ulf had even whispered privately to Colin,
“Maybe the Angel likes that hazy look. After all, whenever He manifests, we can’t see His face clearly anyway. If we repair it too well—
Wouldn’t that be… disrespectful?”
And so, everyone merely repaved the steps around the statue, making them smoother and cleaner—
A small gesture of devotion.
Lynn’s divine sense enveloped the entire church.
The devout murmurs of the faithful
Flowed into his consciousness like trickling streams, filling him with a gentle warmth.
For this renewed body of his,
Lynn felt quite content.
And once he advanced again, this church would surely grow even grander.
Perhaps those new windows would sprout radiant stained glass of their own.
Maybe the walls would unveil divine murals…
But that was a matter for the future.
The prayers gradually faded.
People began to rise—
Preparing to return to their work; there was plenty waiting to be done.
Just then—
Before the altar,
A point of pure, blinding golden light suddenly flared without warning!
“Ah—it’s the Angel!”
Someone cried out immediately.
Everyone froze, heads snapping upward in unison.
They saw the golden light converge—
And the majestic, compassionate figure of a Four-winged Angel
Emerge once more!
His golden armor shimmered, divine brilliance flowing like wings that drifted and cascaded through the air.
That indistinct face
Still radiated such holiness that no one dared to gaze directly upon it.
【Colin Gilbert.】
A solemn, sacred voice
Resounded deep within every heart.
Colin trembled violently; his new glasses nearly slid off his nose.
He pointed to himself in disbelief, his heart pounding madly.
Me?
The Angel was calling me?!
【Thou hast contributed greatly to the construction of the Sanctuary. I shall grant thee the Path of the Priest.】
Before Colin could react—
The Angel’s phantom lifted its hand.
A sacred, ornate book appeared before him, slowly opening.
Countless pages turned in a radiant blur—
Vast knowledge and divine power surged into his body.
“Ugh—ah!”
Colin let out a muffled cry.
Yet there was no pain—
Every cell in his body seemed to rejoice, filled with blissful comfort!
Gradually, a milky-white halo began to radiate from his body.
It grew brighter and brighter, enveloping him completely.
Forming an oval-shaped cocoon of light.
On its surface,
Countless fine Latin inscriptions shimmered faintly, flowing with divine energy.
They emitted a low, resonant hum.
Everyone in the church held their breath—
Eyes wide open, not daring to make a sound.
Liz stood at the front, her gaze complex—
There was comfort, excitement, and a faint touch of emotion.
She remembered the scene when she herself had once been infused with the Holy Light.
The Angel had finally recognized Colin’s devotion!
Wonderful!
The cocoon of light persisted for a dozen breaths or so.
Then, the radiance gradually receded and faded.
When Colin’s figure reappeared—
Everyone gasped in astonishment.
He was still Colin, and yet he was entirely transformed.
The long-standing fatigue from sleepless nights had nearly vanished, his skin glowed with healthy light.
His once slightly hunched back was now straight and firm; his stature seemed taller and more refined.
But what truly drew every gaze—
Was his presence.
A calm, serene aura of wisdom and holiness
Emanated naturally from within him.
His eyes were clear and profound, as though they could see through a person’s soul, yet filled with compassion.
He stood there.
A faint, holy radiance still lingered around his body.
He exuded a serene presence that brought peace to the heart—one that made others instinctively wish to draw close and trust him.
Colin slowly lowered his head and quietly gazed at his hands.
He could clearly feel that what now flowed within him was no longer ordinary human blood—
But a warm, pure, and infinitely powerful force of Light!
Countless fragments of knowledge about the Priest—duties, prayers, Divine Arts—
Were engraved deep into his soul like sacred imprints.
To serve the Lord.
To spread faith.
To soothe pain.
To purify corruption.
To protect the weak.
To bring peace and hope to a world shrouded in darkness…
“This is my duty.”
“It is my duty as a Priest…”
Colin murmured softly.
He understood!
He completely understood!
This was not the path of an ordinary Magician or Knight—
But a new path, one that pointed directly to the source of Light itself!
A transcendent road rooted in faith!
A gift bestowed by the Angel.
A holy vocation that stood far above the two systems of Knights and Magicians that currently existed in the Violet Empire!
The potential and height of a Priest—
Colin judged that even the legendary Dragon Knights, said to rival dragons themselves,
Would pale in comparison!
A surge of joy and sacred mission flooded Colin’s heart.
With a thud,
He fell to his knees upon the stone floor, pressing his forehead tightly against the ground.
“Praise You! Almighty Angel!”
“Your humble servant, Colin Gilbert, swears before You!”
“This life, this heart, shall forever serve the Holy Light!”
“I shall dedicate all I have to spreading Your glory, carrying out Your will, and protecting Your people until my final breath!”
His solemn vow
Echoed through the vast church, filled with devotion from the depths of his soul.
“Praise the Angel!”
Liz finally came to her senses.
She dropped to one knee, pressed her right hand to her chest, and responded loudly.
“Praise the Angel!”
Ulf, Marianne, Old Tom, David—
Everyone, young and old, man and woman alike, fell to their knees in excitement.
The waves of their fervent prayers filled the entire church.
After a long while,
The prayers ended, and the crowd rose to their feet.
But their gazes toward Colin were filled with admiration and a touch of awe.
Only Ulf clapped Colin firmly on the shoulder, grinning.
“Good lad! Well done!”
“Looks like our little town finally has a real ‘scholar’ to keep things in order!”
“We’ve got Sister Liz for fighting, and Priest Colin for brains! Hahaha!”
Marianne wiped tears from her eyes with a smile. “Mr. Colin—no, Priest Colin, congratulations!”
“From now on, the children’s learning, reading the sacred texts—all that depends on you!”
Colin waved his hands quickly, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.
“Please, don’t say that. I’m still just me—Colin.”
“To serve the Angel and contribute to the town is my honor.”
He bent down to pick up his new glasses from the floor.
He examined them briefly—
And still put them back on.
Though his vision had now fully recovered—far surpassing that of ordinary people—
He still liked the feeling of having something resting on the bridge of his nose.
Everyone’s steps seemed lighter, stronger.
It was only natural to envy Colin, yet what filled them even more was motivation!
Even Colin, once a frail scholar with no strength to truss a chicken, had earned the Angel’s favor—
And gained such divine power!
What did that mean?
It meant that as long as one was devout and contributed to the Sanctuary, one too had a chance!
Everyone knew that to walk the path of transcendence required talent.
Take Magicians, for example—
They were one in tens of thousands, blessed with the rare ability to sense elusive magic.
Even Knights—
Needed the right physique to cultivate battle aura.
Many trained for a lifetime, only to remain ordinary folk with merely greater strength.
Even Liz, once a member of the Order of the Templar Knights—
Had only possessed battle aura with a hint of Light, nothing particularly special.
It was only later, after being infused with Holy Light by the Angel, that she became a Knight of Light—
And truly rose above the rest!
But now—
The Angel had opened an entirely new path!
A path requiring no magical talent, no physical gift for battle aura—
Only devout faith and dedication to ascend the extraordinary—
To walk a road farther than that of any Magician or Knight!
How could they not be excited?