Chapter 6 — Divine Authority

The walk back to Erald felt completely different.

Not because of the villagers.

Not because of the hunters kneeling every five minutes.

Not even because I had apparently purified a corrupted magical monster using a burning torch and blind confidence.

No.

Everything felt different because of one terrifying realization.

I had used actual divine power.

Not tricks.

Not technology alone.

Real power.

The blue flames earlier were impossible to explain with science.

Which meant the faith gathering inside me was changing something fundamental.

I wasn’t just pretending anymore.

And honestly?

That scared me.

The hunters walked ahead carrying torches while whispering excitedly.

Every few seconds someone glanced back toward me with awe.

The Blackblood Bear followed slowly behind us now.

Peaceful.

Calm.

Like a giant obedient dog.

The villagers were going to lose their minds when they saw this.

Elena walked beside me silently.

For once, she wasn’t interrogating me.

That somehow felt even more dangerous.

After several minutes, she finally spoke.

"...Purification miracles are extremely rare."

I kept my expression calm.

Inside?

Panic.

Because I had absolutely no idea how I did it.

"Is that so?" I answered casually.

Elena stopped walking suddenly.

Moonlight reflected in her blue eyes.

"You really don’t understand how abnormal you are, do you?"

That question hit harder than expected.

Because technically...

she was right.

I didn’t understand anything.

This world.

Divine power.

Faith.

Authority.

I was improvising every second.

Still, I couldn’t reveal that.

So I simply smiled faintly.

"Perhaps your world still has much to learn."

Very mysterious.

Very godlike.

Completely nonsense.

But apparently that worked here.

Elena stared at me for several seconds before sighing softly.

"You speak like someone ancient."

If only she knew.

I almost answered: No, I just spend too much time online reading fantasy novels.

Thankfully, I had enough self-control not to say that aloud.

The village gates appeared ahead.

The moment the guards noticed the Blackblood Bear walking peacefully behind us—

panic erupted instantly.

"MONSTER!"

Villagers grabbed weapons.

Children screamed.

Then Chief Rowan rushed forward.

"What happened?!"

The hunters looked practically drunk on excitement.

"Lord Kaiser purified the beast!"

The entire village froze.

Silence.

Then chaos exploded.

"A purification miracle?!"

"He cleansed corruption?!"

"A true god!"

The faith pouring into me became overwhelming.

Warm golden energy flooded through my body continuously.

The blue symbol inside my chest grew brighter.

I could feel it now.

A small divine core forming slowly within me.

Like an artificial heart made from faith itself.

And somehow...

I instinctively understood what it was.

Divine Authority.

The foundation of godhood.

Holy crap.

Chief Rowan immediately dropped to both knees.

"Lord Kaiser, please bless Erald with your protection!"

The villagers followed instantly.

An entire village kneeling before me beneath moonlight.

Honestly?

The scene should’ve felt ridiculous.

Instead...

it felt dangerous.

Because a part of me liked it.

The respect.

The power.

The worship.

I finally understood why gods became addicted to faith.

It wasn’t just strength.

It was validation.

Belief itself felt intoxicating.

Elena watched me carefully again.

Maybe she noticed the hesitation in my eyes.

Good.

At least someone here still remembered I wasn’t supposed to be doing this.

The villagers began chanting softly.

"The God of Technology..."

"The God of Technology..."

Every chant strengthened the divine core inside me.

I took a slow breath.

Then raised one hand calmly.

The villagers became silent immediately.

That level of control honestly terrified me.

"You may rise," I said.

Everyone obeyed instantly.

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Complete faith.

Chief Rowan looked emotional.

"Our village will never forget tonight."

The hunters eagerly started retelling the battle.

Apparently my torch attack had already transformed into: "Divine heavenly fire descending from the stars."

Great.

Fantastic.

My mythology was developing faster than internet rumors.

Elena stepped closer quietly.

"You should stop them."

I glanced toward her.

"Stop what?"

"The exaggeration."

Ah.

I smiled slightly.

"But they believe it."

"That doesn’t make it true."

That answer almost made me laugh.

If only she knew how ironic that sentence was in this world. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Because here?

Belief literally created truth.

The villagers quickly escorted us back toward the feast hall.

But now the atmosphere felt entirely different.

Before, they viewed me with cautious awe.

Now?

Pure devotion.

And devotion meant influence.

Influence meant power.

Honestly...

religion here was terrifyingly efficient.

As we entered the hall again, people rushed to prepare food immediately.

Someone even placed flowers near my seat.

I had accidentally unlocked premium customer service through godhood.

Interesting life strategy.

The Blackblood Bear curled peacefully outside near the entrance.

Villagers kept staring at it in amazement.

Chief Rowan looked years younger from relief.

"Lord Kaiser," he said excitedly, "with your blessing, Erald may finally survive!"

I sat down slowly.

The divine energy inside me still pulsed steadily.

Stronger than before.

More stable.

I needed information.

Lots of information.

Preferably before I accidentally exploded spiritually.

"What exactly is corruption?" I asked.

The room quieted slightly.

Elena answered first.

"Corrupted energy is spiritual power infected by negative emotions."

Interesting.

Fear.

Hatred.

Despair.

So emotions influenced spiritual energy too.

That explained why faith worked.

Human belief itself shaped reality here.

Honestly...

this world was less magical and more psychological than expected.

Elena continued quietly.

"Corruption consumes both mortals and divine beings."

"Even gods?" I asked.

Her expression darkened.

"Yes."

Now that was interesting.

Gods weren’t invincible.

They could decay.

Become corrupted.

Potentially go insane.

Dangerous system.

Very dangerous.

Chief Rowan lowered his voice nervously.

"Some ancient stories claim entire divine kingdoms fell to corruption."

The hall became uneasy.

Clearly a sensitive topic.

I leaned back slightly.

"And purification miracles are rare?"

Elena nodded slowly.

"Extremely."

Her eyes remained fixed on me.

"Only high-ranking healing gods or saints can cleanse corruption safely."

Saints.

Another new term.

This world really loved complicated religious titles.

"So how did I do it?" I asked before stopping myself.

Too direct.

Too suspicious.

Elena narrowed her eyes immediately.

Got careless.

I quickly corrected smoothly.

"Or rather... why do you think my flames succeeded?"

Nice recovery.

Probably.

Elena remained silent for several seconds.

Then finally answered.

"Your divine authority feels... strange."

Dangerous answer.

"How so?"

"It doesn’t resemble ordinary divine blessings."

Well yes.

Because mine came from modern humanity accidentally worshipping technology concepts through a cosmic loophole.

Unfortunately I couldn’t exactly explain that.

Elena continued carefully.

"Most divine powers feel rigid. Fixed."

Her gaze sharpened.

"But yours adapts."

Ah.

That actually explained a lot.

Faith shaped my power according to expectation.

People believed technology was mysterious divine force.

So my authority evolved flexibly around perception itself.

Honestly?

That sounded incredibly overpowered.

No wonder the original God of Technology dominated Earth.

Technology itself constantly evolves.

Which meant the authority surrounding it could theoretically evolve endlessly too.

A dangerous thought appeared suddenly.

If people one day believed I controlled:

communication,

knowledge,

machines,

information,

networks,

energy...

Then all those concepts might become part of my divine authority.

Holy crap.

That was absurd.

I quickly hid my reaction.

Elena was still watching me closely.

Seriously, this girl missed nothing.

A villager suddenly entered the hall nervously.

"Chief Rowan... the shrine."

Elena immediately stood.

"What happened?"

"The statue..."

The villager swallowed hard.

"...Lady Seraphine’s statue is glowing."

The room became silent instantly.

Elena’s expression changed completely.

Shock.

Fear.

Hope.

Without another word, she rushed outside.

Everyone followed immediately.

The cold night air hit us again as villagers gathered near the silver shrine at the center of Erald.

And there—

the statue truly was glowing.

Silver light flowed softly across the stone surface.

Brighter than before.

Much brighter.

The villagers whispered excitedly.

"A blessing..."

"Lady Seraphine answered..."

Elena approached the shrine slowly.

Almost afraid to believe it.

Then the silver light suddenly intensified.

Warm energy spread across the village gently.

The exhausted villagers visibly relaxed.

Minor injuries healed instantly.

Even the dead plants near the shrine regained color.

The crowd gasped.

A real miracle.

Chief Rowan looked emotional.

"Lady Seraphine’s power returned..."

Elena stared silently at the glowing statue.

Then slowly turned toward me.

Understanding appeared in her eyes.

And honestly?

That expression worried me immediately.

Because she had realized something important.

My arrival...

had strengthened their goddess.

Not weakened her.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

I frowned slightly.

Wait.

That shouldn’t make sense.

Unless—

realization hit me instantly.

The villagers regained hope because of me.

Their renewed faith strengthened the village spiritually.

And because Lady Seraphine was connected to Erald...

she benefited too.

Holy crap.

Faith here wasn’t isolated.

Belief itself influenced entire spiritual ecosystems.

Which meant—

I didn’t necessarily need to steal believers from other gods.

I could cooperate.

Help weaker gods survive.

And in return?

Gain allies.

Political influence.

Divine connections.

This world’s religious system was way more complicated than simple worship.

Elena slowly walked toward me.

Moonlight reflected softly in her blue eyes.

For the first time since meeting her...

the suspicion there had weakened.

Not disappeared completely.

But softened.

"You really did save them," she whispered quietly.

The village celebrated around us while silver light illuminated the night.

And standing there beneath the glowing shrine—

I suddenly realized something terrifying.

I had only been in this world for one day.

One single day.

And already...

people were starting to believe miracles followed me.