The priest of the Karia Church, recently dispatched from the Royal Capital to the Dusk Hollow Wetlands, was making a hasty return. Urged on by his passenger, the coachman drove the three-horse carriage relentlessly, the rhythmic clatter of hooves against the cobblestones echoing the priest’s own mounting impatience.
Through the window of the passenger compartment, the view shifted from the desolate marshlands to rolling green hills, eventually giving way to a highway that bore the unmistakable scent of civilization.
The Royal Capital was near. The priest gazed at the changing landscape, which signaled their approach, with a pounding heart.
"[Saint]..."
He whispered the word like a man in the grip of a fever.
The Saint was one of the most vital Jobs bestowed by the God Karia, said to possess the power to seal away the forces of evil. It was a power that reached even the heavens—a key destined to save the world. Only one Saint could exist in the world at a time. A peerless, singular presence; no two would ever walk the earth in the same age.
That such a precious Job had manifested within the Imuris Kingdom was a miracle. The priest’s euphoria was only natural.
"When I report this, the Royal Capital will be in an uproar..."
He looked away from the window and closed his eyes, lost in a reverie. In his mind’s eye, he surely saw the Saint standing before the masses, bathed in the thunderous cheers of the people.
A single tear rolled down his cheek, leaving a dark stain on his vestments. He opened his eyes slightly, his gaze brimming with hope.
"With this, our country is secure..."
He nodded to himself again and again, savoring his own words.
The three-horse carriage rattled through the gates of the Royal Capital and proceeded down the main street, forcing its way through the crowds. The commoners gave way with disgruntled looks as the coachman hurried them aside, but the priest peering through the window paid them no mind.
If anything, he cursed their insolence. Fools. They have no idea what news I bring.
The carriage gradually slowed and eventually came to a halt in front of the local headquarters of the Karia Church. When the coachman opened the door, the priest stepped down with an air of immense self-importance.
"Good work," he said.
"As you command, sir," the coachman replied, bowing his head. Without a second glance, the priest vanished into the building.
The interior of the church was silent and deserted. Most of the clergy were busy traveling across the provinces to perform the Rite of Job Bestowal and the Rite of Job Change, leaving the halls sparsely populated.
The priest strode through the building, his footsteps echoing until he stopped before a specific set of doors. The ornate carvings on the wood spoke to the high status of the man within.
The priest knocked. "High Priest. I have returned from the Dusk Hollow Wetlands."
"Enter."
A single desk dominated the room. Behind it sat a man so immensely portly he seemed an almost natural extension of the furniture. In the corner of the room, a guard knight stood silent in white armor.
"As per your instructions, I have performed the Rite of Job Bestowal for the girl living on the shore of the poison swamp."
"I see. And what Job did the girl receive?" The High Priest asked, tapping the desk with fingers as round and fat as caterpillars.
The priest’s face lit up with irrepressible joy. He took a bold step forward to deliver his report. "It was nothing short of a miracle... She has been granted the Job of [Saint], your Eminence!"
The High Priest’s expression instantly soured. "Truly? A [Saint]?"
"There is no mistake! The moment she received the Job, she eliminated the Evil Being lurking within the Dusk Hollow Wetlands! She purified the entirety of that poison swamp in an instant!"
"Hoh..." the High Priest groaned.
"To think the day would come when I would be the one to announce the birth of a Saint... It will be the pride of my lineage for generations!"
"Is that so? You have done well. Come, I shall grant you a special reward."
Beaming, the priest walked with a light step toward the High Priest. The older man held a small leather pouch, which he had clearly prepared in advance.
"Take this."
"I accept it with the utmost gratitude."
As his fingers closed around the leather pouch, the priest froze.
"...Gah...!"
A sudden spray of bloody froth burst from the priest’s lips. The pouch slipped from his nerveless fingers, hitting the floor with a heavy metallic clink.
"...Why...?" he wheezed.
He looked down to see a blade protruding from his chest. Behind him, the guard knight stood expressionless, having driven a dagger through his back.
"There is no way that girl is a Saint," the High Priest said coldly. "I cannot allow someone who spreads such dangerous lies to live."
"...I... the truth..."
The knight wrenched the dagger free, and the priest’s body collapsed powerlessly to the floor.
"See to the cleanup," the High Priest commanded. "Ensure any of his associates are dealt with as well. I must go to the Prince."
"Understood."
The High Priest heaved himself up from his chair and left the room, his massive frame swaying as he walked.
In the Noble District of the Royal Capital, the Chalky Royal Castle towered over the city.
In one of its private chambers, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes stood facing the mountain of a man in religious vestments. Both were too tense to sit; they held their secret council standing upon the thick, deep-pile carpet.
"To think that whore’s brat would actually manifest the Saint," Second Prince Gaius spat. "I left her alive thinking she might be a useful pawn one day, but a Saint is far beyond what I can handle."
"It is as you say, Lord Gaius," the High Priest agreed. "Opportunists will surely crawl out of the woodwork to use her as a figurehead, tipping the scales of the succession struggle in their favor."
Gaius let out a low, frustrated growl. "It was my mother who banished her to that swamp in the first place. Our rivals will use that history to incite the masses against us. Furthermore, he would find the existence of a Saint... inconvenient."
"It would be wisest to dispose of the girl before word of her Job spreads."
"...I agree." A dark, predatory light flickered in Gaius’s eyes.
"Who shall carry out the task?"
"I cannot risk using the Royal Guard for this. I will send 'Shield'."
"A wise choice, my lord."
Having concluded the meeting, the High Priest lumbered out of the room.
Left alone, Gaius sat at his desk and began to draft two letters. The first was a formal missive, celebrating the birth of the Saint and inviting her to the Royal Capital with all honors. The second was a secret order: to deliver the Saint’s head to the Empire.