[Anastasia Romanova PoV]
Tonight is the night of blessing...
The night when a new Saint will be chosen through the Miracle Chosen Ritual. To be honest, I am quite nervous about undergoing this rite. What will happen if I am the one chosen?
At this moment, I am being escorted by several Aques and a Cardinal toward the Grand Temple—specifically, to the Ritual Chamber.
"You look tense, Anastasia," the Cardinal remarked. "Rest easy; you are merely required to stand still while the procession takes place."
"Thank you, Cardinal Markus," I replied. "If I may ask, what happens next once the Saint has been chosen tonight?"
"An official coronation will be held so the entire world may know the identity of the newly chosen Saint," Cardinal Markus answered. "Every world leader on this continent will attend the upcoming ceremony. The Saint will become the center of attention and the talk of the world for months to come."
Every world leader will attend the coronation? It seems the influence of a Saint truly is monumental on this continent.
A few moments later, we arrived at the Ritual Chamber. It appeared we were the last to arrive, as the three other candidates were already in position alongside their respective supervising Cardinals. In the center of the room stood a square Altar, which each Saint candidate would ascend during the ceremony.
"Very well, all Saint candidates have arrived in the chamber. Let us begin the Miracle Chosen ritual to select the new Saint," declared Vicar Lorentius. He was the one presiding over the ritual. "The four candidates are expected to stand at each corner of the Altar in the center of this room."
Following Vicar Lorentius's instructions, I and the three other candidates stepped up onto the square Ritual Altar. I stood at the northern corner, while the others occupied the south, west, and east.
"Long ago, our Great Goddess descended from the Heavens to bestow her blessing upon the woman she chose to aid humanity against the evil and injustice arising in this world," Vicar Lorentius began, opening the ritual. "The woman chosen by our Great Goddess is the Saint who shall lead the Temple Authority, guide all her servants toward the path of righteousness, and lead us in defeating the enemies who seek to destroy mankind!"
Saint Yeriel Latuncostina—she was the first woman to become a Saint of the Temple of Goddess Diana. She was also the only Saint chosen directly by Goddess Diana, an event that caused the Goddess to descend from the realm of the gods to this mortal world.
Before Saint Yeriel passed away, she created an artifact at the cost of her own life. This artifact is the Miracle Caller, used by the Temple Authority to choose each successive Saint. According to Saint Yeriel's final words, the Miracle Caller can identify candidates who possess the qualifications to be the next Saint. This is because the artifact was forged using the Mana of Goddess Diana herself, which she had bestowed upon Yeriel when she appointed her as the First Saint.
Vicar Lorentius then brought forward a staff coated in gold and adorned with a deep blue diamond at its tip. The roof of the chamber opened, revealing the full moon in the night sky, allowing its silver light to spill inside.
"With Your permission, Great Goddess, I—Lorentius di Romagna—shall commence the ritual to choose Your chosen holy woman!"
Having said this, the Vicar raised the Miracle Caller staff. A brilliant light erupted. Runes began to manifest upon the floor of the Altar. A magic circle formation appeared on the ground, encircling me and the other candidates.
"En el nombre de La Diosa!"
A sphere of light materialized in the center of the Altar.
This is it...
That sphere of light would move toward the Chosen Saint. It was the orb that would determine which of the four of us would ascend to the Sainthood. Every Priest present in the room began to chant a religious hymn. Everyone sang praises to the Goddess, except for the Vicar, who was channeling the Miracle Caller.
The sphere of light grew larger and more brilliant—bigger and bigger—until it suddenly dissolved into tiny Mana particles that drifted aimlessly into the air.
"What is the meaning of this...?"
I heard the Vicar mutter those words. All the chanting Priests fell silent. Was there a flaw in the ritual? Wasn't the light supposed to seek one of us out?
"The ritual has failed..." the Vicar murmured again. "What exactly is happening?"
— CRASH!
Suddenly, the doors to the chamber burst open, revealing a Priest looking nervous and drenched in sweat as he stared at the Vicar.
"Priest Xenobria! How dare you interrupt this ritual!" Cardinal Zeno shouted, pointing at him.
"Wait, Zeno. It seems Xenobria has urgent information to deliver," Vicar Lorentius intervened. "Speak. Why have you come here in the midst of the ritual?"
"I-I do not know how to say this to the Lords gathered here," Priest Xenobria stammered. "It would be better if you all came outside and saw the northern sky with your own eyes right now."
Every Priest and Cardinal in the room looked confused. What could possibly be happening out there?
"Very well, let us go outside and discover what Priest Xenobria wishes to show us," the Vicar said. He walked out of the room, followed by the Priests, Cardinals, and Saint candidates. I and the others walked directly behind him.
Upon exiting the Grand Temple, everyone looked toward the northern sky. A circle of light so bright it illuminated the darkness of the night was visible in the north.
"Co-could that be the Rift of Light that connects the dimension of the Gods to our own?" Cardinal Markus asked, sounding shocked.
"Judging by the location of that Rift, it appears the Great Goddess has descended upon the Margraviate of Cataluna," observed Cardinal Nicholas. "But wasn't that region just reported to be under attack by Demons and Monsters!?"
"Does that mean the Great Goddess has descended personally to choose the holy woman who will become the Saint!?" Cardinal Zeno exclaimed.
"But in a thousand years, only the First Saint, Yeriel, was chosen directly by the Goddess! Is it possible such a thing is happening now!?" Cardinal Carlos said, looking incredulous.
"You see it with your own eyes, do you not? Our Great Goddess has chosen Her holy woman," the Vicar said, turning to all the Priests. "Whoever she may be, we shall dispatch every Holy Knight to retrieve the Chosen Saint and bring her here to be crowned before the leaders of the world!"
After saying this, Vicar Lorentius prostrated himself toward the Rift of Light in the northern sky.
"Almighty—The Goddess!" Vicar Lorentius cried out, praising the Goddess while pressing his forehead to the ground.
"Almighty The Goddess!"
"Almighty The Goddess!"
Every Priest and Cardinal followed suit, prostrating themselves. They all began to chant songs of praise. I joined them, bowing and singing in this rare moment where the Creator of our world humbled Herself to descend, just to meet the woman She had chosen.
***
[Ariel PoV]
This isn't a dream, is it?
I asked myself that question and pinched both my cheeks. Suddenly, the woman calling herself Goddess Diana smiled at me and flew down closer.
"Fufufu~ You are not dreaming, Ariel. I have descended from the Realm of the Gods to choose you as a Saint directly," the Goddess said.
Huh? She can read my thoughts? No, no—that's not the most important thing! The Goddess said she came to our world just to choose me as a Saint personally?!
"But Great Goddess, I am not one of the four Saint candidates chosen months ago," I said politely. "How could I be chosen as a Saint when I wasn't even selected as a candidate to undergo the Trials in the Holy City?"
"Oh Ariel, in truth, any woman can become a Saint—not just those chosen by the Temple Authority," the Goddess revealed. "The Trials given to those candidates only train the women the Temple deems worthy to meet the criteria they think are needed to be a Saint."
Is that so? So the one chosen to be a Saint doesn't necessarily have to be one of the candidates selected by the Temple?
"However, this does not deny that the women chosen by the Temple Authority are candidates with a significant chance of becoming a Saint," the Goddess added.
If that's the case, how could I be the chosen one instead of those with the better chance? The Goddess smiled again; it seemed she had read my mind once more.
"Ariel, do you know the nature of the Trials those candidates undergo?" she asked.
I simply shook my head in response.
The Goddess then explained the mental endurance training and magical proficiency those candidates had to master. According to her, even though I hadn't undergone the Trials, my mind and spirit were stronger than theirs because of my experience directly aiding citizens and the wounded in the heat of battle. Furthermore, my magical proficiency was far higher than that of the candidates undergoing Trials in the Holy City of Notredame.
"I see. So You chose me because I excel in those two areas compared to the candidates?" I asked.
However, the Goddess shook her head, refuting my assumption. She turned her head to the side and looked at the masked man, who was frozen in mid-air about to thrust his sword into the face of the giant Minotaur he was fighting. It was true—the Goddess had stopped time for the monsters and soldiers here, turning them into motionless statues.
"Just as that man said, I chose you because of your courage and your resolve to help people, Ariel," the Goddess answered, flying closer to the masked man who was always helping me. "However... I find an anomaly in this man."
Huh? An anomaly?
Had the Goddess discovered the masked man's soul because he was part of a Heretic group that opposed her teachings? Would she erase the man who had always saved me?
"Fufufu~ Do not worry, Ariel," the Goddess said with a light chuckle. "I will not interfere in the affairs of mortals like you."
Ah... thank goodness...
I had been terrified that the Goddess would do something to him. I hadn't even begun to repay his kindness for always saving me whenever I was in trouble.
"The anomaly I refer to is that I cannot see or read the soul of this masked man," the Goddess explained. "As the Creator of this world, I should be able to read the hearts and souls of all creatures living within it. That means... there is only one answer as to why I cannot do so with this man."
The Goddess then touched the masked man's cheek and gazed into his eyes... After that, her hand moved down to his neck and then to his chest. For some reason, I suddenly clenched my fists tight when I saw the Goddess so close to him, touching his face and chest like a lover. My chest felt tight, but I couldn't tell the Goddess to stay away from him.
"I see. I understand now," the Goddess said, finally moving away from him. "It appears this man's soul does not originate from this world."
Huh? His soul isn't from this world? What does that mean?
She then returned to me and spread her hands as if holding an invisible sphere.
"Very well, Ariel, it is time to grant you a glimmer of the power and Mana I possess," the Goddess said. "Use this power wisely to lead humanity toward the right path—the path of love and peace."
A light appeared between the Goddess's palms.
"Close your eyes," she commanded.
I followed her instruction. Soon, I felt an overflowing power enter my body. My head throbbed as thousands of pieces of information regarding the new powers granted by the Goddess flooded my mind.
"You may open your eyes now."
When I opened them, I saw the Goddess smiling. "Well, it is time to end our meeting."
The Goddess began to beat her wings and fly back toward the Rift of Light in the sky.
"Ariel, from this moment on, you are the Chosen Saint who will lead humanity toward the path of truth and protect them from the threats of the wicked demons," the Goddess said. Her voice grew more distant, yet remained crystal clear. "I leave the future of humanity to you."
With that, the Goddess entered the Rift of Light, followed by the angels who had previously lined the path. Once the last angel entered, the sky suddenly turned dark again. The soldiers and monsters who were previously frozen regained their movement. They resumed the fight, unaware that the Goddess they worshipped had just descended among them.
"Hold the line! Don't let these monsters intimidate you!"
"We can't! These monsters have blocked every exit!"
Seeing the chaos, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was time to use this power to help all of mankind...