The decrease in the risk of death from any cause was something difficult to interpret, but it was actually a very powerful blessing. Strictly speaking, it meant that the probability of dying was 1% lower in all circumstances likely to lead to death.
This kind of effect was very nebulous and difficult to quantify objectively in practice. If you were shot, did it mean that there was a 1% less chance that a vital organ like the heart or brain would be hit? Or did it mean that the prognosis for a gunshot wound to the heart was improved?
If it was the first case, then it meant that his luck and that of the other villagers had just increased. If it was the second case, it was not as miraculous since a brain or heart injury was typically 100% lethal. Taking 1% off an absolute probability would not make any difference. If that was the case, then Faulch's Blessing was far more impressive than he had imagined, defying both logic and the laws of physics.
