Chapter 22: Chapter 22 - Faith of the Helpless
Chapter 22 — Faith of the Helpless
The little girl’s voice shattered something inside me.
"Can you save us?"
Simple question.
Quiet.
Terrified.
And somehow heavier than every prophecy, every divine warning, every threat from the hunters combined.
The road fell completely silent.
Hundreds of exhausted refugees stared at me with desperate eyes while cold wind moved across the plains.
Children clung to their parents.
Wounded men leaned against broken carts.
Old women silently prayed beneath trembling breaths.
And all of them looked at me like I was their final hope.
The blue divine core inside my chest pulsed heavily.
Not painfully.
Emotionally.
Like it reacted directly to their desperation.
Honestly?
That scared me more than the hunters did.
Because power was one thing.
Expectation was another.
And expectation could destroy people.
I stared at the little girl for several long seconds.
She looked exhausted.
Thin.
Her bare feet were covered in dirt and dried blood from walking.
One sleeve of her small dress was burned black by fire.
Probably from whatever happened in the eastern territories.
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
Behind me, the Eternal Light knights remained tense.
Several clearly wanted to move the refugees away from me immediately.
Lucien especially looked troubled now.
Not angry.
Concerned.
Because he understood something important before I did.
Faith was gathering again.
Fast.
The refugees whispered among themselves while staring at me.
"The blue god..."
"The one from prophecy..."
"He survived the hunters..."
"The forgotten authority..."
Every whisper carried belief.
Fear.
Hope.
And the divine core absorbed all of it.
The warmth inside my chest intensified sharply.
Elena noticed immediately.
"Kaiser."
Her voice became cautious.
The saintess stepped slightly closer to me.
Protective again.
Dangerously attractive behavior during emotionally unstable moments.
I forced myself to focus.
The little girl still waited for an answer.
And honestly?
I didn’t know what to say.
Could I save them?
I barely understood my own powers.
I didn’t even understand this world completely yet.
But looking into those frightened eyes—
I also couldn’t say no.
The blue core pulsed harder.
The refugees unconsciously stepped closer.
Not aggressively.
Drawn.
Like people gathering around warmth during winter.
Lucien moved forward immediately.
"Maintain distance."
His voice carried divine authority this time.
Sharp.
Commanding.
Several refugees flinched backward instantly.
But the little girl remained standing there.
Watching me silently.
And somehow—
that hurt.
Because she looked like someone who already lost too much to fear authority anymore.
Dorian quietly muttered beside me—
"This is becoming dangerous."
He was right.
Faith born from desperation gathered incredibly quickly.
And desperation spread like wildfire among refugees.
The prophet’s words echoed again inside my mind.
"Technology evolves through necessity."
These people needed protection.
Shelter.
Food.
Safety.
Systems.
Civilization itself.
Technology naturally grew strongest where humanity struggled most.
The realization sent chills through me.
The original Technology God probably rose during catastrophe too.
Not prosperity.
Need creates dependence faster than comfort ever could.
Lucien suddenly looked toward me sharply.
"Do not promise anything."
I frowned slightly.
"That specific advice feels suspiciously targeted."
"Because it is."
The commander’s golden eyes narrowed carefully.
"Divine promises create binding resonance."
Ah.
Wonderful.
Magic contracts hidden inside conversation.
This world really needed warning labels.
The little girl finally spoke again.
"Please..."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"...my brother is sick."
Silence spread instantly across the road.
Several nearby refugees lowered their heads sadly.
A woman behind the child quietly began crying.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Not just fear anymore.
Grief.
Real grief.
The blue core reacted violently.
Warm energy surged through my chest and spread across my arms instinctively.
No.
Wait.
Something felt different this time.
The energy wasn’t responding to fear or survival.
It was responding to purpose.
I suddenly understood something terrifying.
Technology as a divine authority didn’t merely evolve through innovation.
It evolved through solving human problems.
And right now—
these people desperately needed solutions.
My gaze moved across the refugee crowd carefully.
Burned supplies.
Broken wagon wheels.
Injured civilians.
Exhausted children.
Disease spreading through cramped travel groups.
The problems appeared everywhere instantly once I started looking.
And my mind automatically began creating answers.
Water purification.
Medical treatment.
Food preservation.
Transportation systems.
Communication networks.
The blue core pulsed faster with every thought.
Holy crap.
The authority literally reacted to problem-solving instincts.
That was absurdly dangerous.
Because humanity always had problems.
Meaning Technology would always continue evolving endlessly.
No natural limit.
No stopping point.
The old gods absolutely had valid reasons to panic.
Elena suddenly grabbed my wrist gently.
"Kaiser."
Her blue eyes held genuine concern now.
"You’re radiating divine energy."
I blinked.
"What?"
The saintess slowly pointed downward.
I looked.
Blue light flickered faintly around my hands.
Static crackled softly through the air.
And every refugee nearby stared at it with widening eyes.
Oh no.
Not again.
The whispers intensified immediately.
"A miracle..."
"Divine light..."
"The forgotten god hears us..."
The core pulsed harder.
Absorbing belief.
Growing stronger.
Lucien immediately stepped forward.
"Enough."
Golden divine energy erupted around him instantly.
A wave of pressure spread across the road, calming the atmosphere slightly.
The commander’s voice became cold.
"No worship."
The refugees recoiled instinctively.
Fear returned immediately.
But this time—
something else mixed with it.
Confusion.
Because Lucien looked like he was suppressing hope itself.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The political side of divinity revealed itself again.
Faith wasn’t just religion here.
It was power distribution.
Every believer mattered.
Every prayer strengthened authorities.
And right now?
A new authority was attracting desperate people rapidly.
That threatened existing systems naturally.
Dorian quietly stepped beside me.
"Careful."
His voice remained calm but serious now.
"Mass desperation can accelerate divine growth explosively."
I looked toward him sharply.
"How explosively?"
The merchant hesitated briefly.
Then softly answered—
"Historically? Kingdom-destroying levels."
Fantastic.
Love hearing that.
The little girl suddenly tugged weakly at my sleeve.
I looked down.
Her eyes filled with tears now.
"Please save my brother..."
My chest tightened again.
Behind her, a thin woman stepped forward nervously carrying a small boy wrapped in blankets.
The child looked terribly sick.
Sweating heavily.
Breathing unevenly.
Probably fever.
Or infection.
Maybe worse.
The mother looked terrified even approaching us.
"Forgive us..."
Her voice trembled.
"...we heard the new god travels this road..."
The blue core reacted immediately again.
Warmth spread through my body.
Not violent.
Focused.
Like instinctively analyzing the situation.
The sick child coughed weakly.
And suddenly—
my phone vibrated inside my pocket.
Everyone froze instantly.
Right.
Wrong world.
Forgot about that.
Slowly, carefully, I pulled it out.
The cracked screen flickered weakly before stabilizing.
Battery: 19%.
But something new appeared now.
Not normal phone functions.
A glowing blue interface covered the screen.
The surrounding refugees gasped loudly.
Even Lucien stiffened slightly.
The display showed unfamiliar symbols mixed with recognizable concepts.
Scanning...
Biological instability detected.
Possible infection.
Recommended intervention: Temperature stabilization. Hydration restoration. Antibacterial treatment.
My heartbeat accelerated.
What the hell?
The blue core pulsed in synchronization with the screen.
The prophet’s words echoed again.
"The divine machine."
Oh no.
Oh this was very bad.
Or very useful.
Possibly both.
Elena stepped closer carefully.
"What is it showing?"
I stared at the screen silently.
Medical analysis.
My phone somehow integrated with divine authority itself.
Technology merging directly with spiritual systems.
Holy crap.
The original Technology God wasn’t simply using machines.
He evolved them beyond ordinary technology entirely.
The mother holding the sick boy looked increasingly desperate.
"Please..."
The little girl clung tightly to her brother’s blanket.
The refugees watched breathlessly now.
Waiting.
Believing.
The core absorbed every ounce of it.
Lucien immediately understood the danger too.
His expression sharpened.
"Kaiser."
Warning tone.
But honestly?
Too late.
Because I already made the decision the moment I saw the child.
I slowly knelt in front of the mother.
Fear spread instantly across nearby knights.
Several moved toward us cautiously.
Probably expecting divine explosions again.
Reasonable concern honestly.
I ignored them.
Instead, I focused on the phone screen.
Medical treatment.
Modern medicine.
Earth knowledge.
The authority seemed capable of translating concepts into divine functionality somehow.
The blue static around my fingers intensified softly.
Not chaotic like before.
Controlled.
Precise.
Interesting.
The phone displayed another line.
Conceptual reconstruction available.
Faith consumption required.
My eyes widened slightly.
The authority could literally create technological effects using faith as energy.
That was insane.
The original Technology God basically transformed belief into scientific miracles.
No wonder civilizations followed him.
I looked toward the sick child carefully.
Then quietly asked the mother—
"May I try?"
She immediately nodded with tear-filled eyes.
"Yes."
The blue core pulsed powerfully.
Faith connected instantly.
Warmth surged through my body.
And for one terrifying second—
I understood exactly why gods became addicted to this feeling.
Being trusted like this felt overwhelming.
Dangerously overwhelming.
I raised my hand slowly toward the child’s forehead.
Blue light flickered softly around my fingers.
The refugees collectively held their breath.
Even Lucien remained silent now.
Watching carefully.
The phone screen glowed brighter.
Medical concept integration initiated.
Reconstructing: Antibacterial response. Temperature reduction. Immune stabilization.
The blue light spread gently across the sick child’s body.
Not flashy.
Not explosive.
Soft.
Warm.
Like calm electricity.
The boy’s painful breathing gradually slowed.
The feverish redness across his skin began fading slowly.
And then—
the child opened his eyes.
The mother gasped instantly.
The little girl burst into tears.
The surrounding refugees erupted into shocked whispers.
"It healed him—"
"A miracle—"
"The new god answered—"
The blue core exploded with warmth inside my chest.
Faith surged toward me from every direction at once.
Hundreds of people.
Hope.
Relief.
Gratitude.
The sensation nearly overwhelmed me completely.
And then—
the phone screen displayed a final message.
First Miracle Registered.
Authority Synchronization Increased.
