Gacha Kingdom Building

-This chapter is written using Sabrina's POV-

In this world, Saints are incredibly respected.

Throughout the ages, they have protected the land from various calamities.

In times of desperation, it is the light of the Saints that has guided the population to a worthwhile future.

As such, it is a position envied by many.

And also... a respectable title.

I have no doubts about how blessed I am to have become one. If not for it, I would never be able to attend the academy...

It's only thanks to this blessing that I was able to meet Edmond, Albert, Lennard, and the Evretis family's butler.

I'm truly grateful for this, but it's not like this position has no downsides. It does come with its own share of problems and responsibilities as well.

As the Saint it is up to me to help everyone and guarantee they will live happy and fulfilling lives.

Their fate depends on me playing my role perfectly.

Otherwise, our story won't have a happy ending.

But carrying their fates is not the only thing I'm responsible for.

I'm recognized as a key political and military figure. I act as a barrier that prevents Terith from being attacked simply by existing.

As a citizen of this nation, I'm expected to serve my lords in times of war, boosting the country's defense.

I add power to this country since I should be able to save many lives on the battlefield.

However... Saints are always around when disaster strikes.

The Gods in their infinite wisdom must know when danger is coming.

To combat the threat of a calamity must be why they select Saints and Heroes.

It's our duty as their agents to prevent the world from falling.

Knowing this, any ruler would have to be out of their mind to attack a nation housing a Saint. They'd be essentially risking the downfall of everyone around them.

An act that surely wouldn't please their neighbors and population.

However, because of such things, there's always a lot of pressure on me.

Many countries would love to bring me to their side no matter the cost.

And this pressure is sure to increase once I'm officially recognized as a Saint by Volan's church.

Yet... I'll always be grateful that I have been chosen to perform this task.

It's much better than anything else I could dedicate my life to.

I'll be sure to do my best. I'll protect and save everyone.

No calamity will defeat me. No matter the odds.

I'll bring everyone to my side, and together, we will conquer the challenges in our way.

After all... I'm all that stands between hope and despair in this world.

If I don't prevent it from falling, who else will?

I'm the only one who can guarantee everyone's happy ending.

This world needs me, and I must perform my role perfectly to comply with its expectations.

I should not make any mistakes... No matter in which direction fate goes I should rein it in and guarantee a bright future.

Sabrina: "That's what I've decided!"

Nun: "I see... But what exactly does that entail?"

Sabrina: "Well... I guess I should explain from the start."

During the first semester of winter break, I received a task from Terith's Academy.

I already knew what it was about. They wanted me to visit Volan, a city close to Cobierzh's capital.

Although the Academy issues a bunch of different tasks during the breaks, this was the one I would receive. The Royal Family must have certainly been the ones to request it in the first place.

As for why they would do such a thing... Well, the reason is obvious.

Volan is a special city.

It is recognized as a holy land for being the birthplace of this continent's first known Saint and is also where one can be recognized as a Saint by reaching and ringing its bells during a holy pilgrimage.

I needed to come to this city to be recognized worldwide as a Saint and solidify my position as well as Terith's possession of a true, bonafide Saint.

And well... It is also an important step in my development since I don't see myself reaching the future I desire without participating in the Sanctification Ceremony and harvesting its rewards.

As for the pilgrimage itself... I was already aware of most of the procedure and thought it wasn't going to be too difficult for me to reach and ring the bells.

After all, there are no doubts that I'm the Saint.

However, I was unaware of some of the finer details.

And to make matters even more complicated, I had unexpected company... Although I was grateful that coincidentally, Edmond was also tasked with going to Cobierzh, although her assignment was different from mine since he was sent as a representative of the crown on a diplomatic mission to establish good relations with Cobierzh, a neighboring country to Terith and one of the biggest forces in the continent.

Still, no matter if this happened by sheer luck or if the Royal Family already expected us to travel together, the fact is that we enjoyed each other's company during our voyage.

Even though he traveled with his entire entourage, we managed to talk a lot, deepening our relationship. The same was true for the rest of them too.

We even talked about some of the more concerning matters such as the behavior of some of our classmates.

Nun: "Are you having problems at school?"

Sabrina: "Well... There are a few things that aren't going my way..."

While most respect Edmond and me thanks to our positions, some people have yet to get the cue.

Well... "some people" is a bit of an exaggeration.

It's just Isabella and her troupe.

Especially her butler.

I still can't believe that of all people... He is the one giving me the most trouble...

It shouldn't be like this... He's acting completely different from what I expected.

He should resent her. Plot her downfall.

He serves the most insufferable woman in this world!

Getting to his good side should be hard. I get that. But by winter break I should already have developed a good relationship with everyone.

And I did for the most part.

He's the only exception.

No matter what I do, I can't get him to lower his guard. It feels like all my efforts are wasted on him.

He sticks with Isabella, offering unwavering support for her at every turn.

Even when she should be the clear culprit of the bullying incidents that have been happening, he refuses to take my side and instead, protects her by coming up with a bunch of different rationalizations.

It doesn't make any sense.

Their relationship seems so weird and unnatural...

No matter the situation, his support for Isabella is unwavering.

It's weird... The two of them have such an unnatural relationship...

It shouldn't be like this at all.

Nun: "Seems like this man is making you quite irritated."

Sabrina: "...It's not like that."

He's the one I know the least about, but I'm sure he'll come to my side as long as I insist on it.

After all, he's necessary.

I need everyone to fight together, or else when the time comes...

Nun: "When the time comes...?"

Sabrina: "No, it's nothing..."

In any case, the point is that the voyage with Edmond was quite enjoyable, even if most of it was spent talking about Isabella's weird butler and their less-than-desirable behavior.

Edmond and his friends all showed a lot of sympathy for me and vowed to defend me were they to see someone acting against me.

Our bonds strengthened a lot, and that's all that matters!

Although... One important thing that I should note was that they offered to help me with my task, but I believed there was no need for it and refused their offer.

However, since only the Saint could find and ring the bells I believed there was nothing they could do to help me, so I had to refuse their offer.

...I was completely wrong about that and almost paid the price for it.

As it turns out, reaching the bells was much harder than I initially thought.

I imagined I just had to go to the mountains, and through the Gods' guidance, I'd be able to quickly and safely reach the bells.

However... I had surprisingly bad luck.

The weather was extremely bad.

There was heavy rain and wind and a large number of monsters were wandering around.

There were too many of them for me to handle alone.

I struggled as much as I could, but no matter what spells I used, I knew I was going to get overrun eventually.

My body was starting to give in... My mana was starting to run dry...

I feared for the worst.

I never thought I could die since I have a mission in this world, but... At that moment, I felt fear.

I simply couldn't believe it.

There was too much I had yet to do... My story was only at its beginning...

But thankfully, at that moment, when my heart was being filled with doubts and despair, a shining prince appeared to save the day.

Since the weather was so bad, he worried about me and went up the mountain to try and convince me that I should try the pilgrimage another day.

Because of that, he came just in time to rescue me, and together we were able to stand our ground for much longer.

But sadly... It was still too much for the two of us.

We had to run.

Thankfully, we managed to run and hide in a cave, but... a cave-in happened and we were separated when I fell into a hole.

Nun: "Oh... And what happened after?"

Sabrina: "I was able to find my way out... No... I found a path that led to the bells."

Nun: "Oh. I take it you also managed to ring them?"

Sabrina: "Yes..."

Multiple layers of light magic were used to mask their presence.

A barrier had also been erected to prevent random people from entering the room where the bells stood.

It was probably a measure taken by the first Saint just in case the bells were to be found by someone randomly strolling through the mountains.

Of course, it was no challenge for me. The barrier accepted me without any resistance.

However, I couldn't help but think that-

Nun: "For her magic to last so long would have been impossible...."

Sabrina: "Right... I thought so too, so... I decided to reinforce it before leaving."

It must've been the same for every Saint that came before me...

To preserve the sanctity of the place and ensure it would remain a fair testing ground for those worthy of being recognized as a Saint in the future.

Although... There was also something else in my mind at the time.

The mana there... It wasn't all that strong, but... It was radiant. Pure...

Nauseatingly so.

I only discovered that there could be other Saints in this world after I found Raella, the ghost of what I believed to be the previous Saint, however...

Her mana was not like that at all.

Or at least at the time, it didn't give me this impression.

Perhaps it was a result of the curse changing her nature but...

Even now, I'm still not sure.

Sabrina: "After that... Things were pretty simple. I was guided out of the cave by a string of light that disappeared after I left it. Then, I made my way back to the entrance Edmond and I had found."

Then it was just a matter of visiting Volan's church to be officially recognized by them and be allowed to look at the first Saint's writings.

Ultimately, although I ran into more predicaments than I had imagined I was happy to have finished this task.

It meant I was a step closer to my destiny.

Nun: "...You're very worried about the future..."

Sabrina: "I am. After all, I know the challenges that await, and I know that the fate of this world rests on me."

I'm the only one who can prevent the worst fate from happening.

I must not fail.

Nun: "I see... But don't worry so much. Remember, the Gods are watching, and everything is according to their will. Someone as blessed as you should trust them with your whole being."

Sabrina: "...Sure."

Huh...

Now that I think about it, while I did need to ask for help to meet the person responsible for the ceremony that would solidify me as a Saint, I didn't need to tell the whole story to this nun...

I could have just asked her to guide me to the Bishop and be done with it... Read the latest stories on M-VL-em|p,yr

I suppose her gentle and kind appearance made me feel a little compelled to share more than I might've needed to...

Well, it's not like it matters anyway, and talking to a nun like this felt a bit like a confession.

Even though I feel like I overshared a little, she was so curious and attentive that I couldn't help it.

Sabrina: "Thank you for listening to me, Sister. But would you be so kind as to please take me to the Bishop now? I need to report the success of the pilgrimage."

Nun: "Of course. This way, please."

As expected of the biggest cathedral in Volan, there were many different corridors and rooms.

The place was like a labyrinth, and it felt like this girl was having trouble finding her way.

After a while, I was pretty sure I'd have reached the Bishop faster had I asked anyone else, but I couldn't muster the courage to dismiss her, so I kept believing she would eventually find the way.

Nun: "Hmm... I'm sure it was around here... I think."

Pfft... So clumsy.

Sabrina: "Are you new here?"

Nun: "Uh... Somewhat? It's been a little bit more than half a year since I joined this church."

Oh... I suppose it makes sense then.

If it was a normal church, then sure, it would be a little too much, but since the cathedral is so big, I can excuse it.

Nun: "Your Excellency, I've brought Sabrina, the Saint candidate. She wishes to speak with you about the ceremony..."

Bishop: "Thank you, Saint Gabriella."

Nun: "I'm still unbefitting of such title, Your Excellency."

Bishop: "I see. I take it you still refuse to be officially recognized?"

I didn't know what to think at that moment.

They gave me too much to process in so few sentences.

Gabriella: "Regarding that... I've changed my mind. This girl, Sabrina... Her story has inspired me. Do you think we could share the Sanctification Ceremony?"

Bishop: "Yes! Of course! It's unprecedented for two Saints to appear at such close intervals. We'd be more than happy to host a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony like this!"

Sabrina: "Wait... I... Don't understand."

What I heard in that room was perplexing...

I almost couldn't believe it.

No, I didn't believe it up until the ceremony came and went.

Not only was I not the only Saint, but...

This girl had actually been able to ring the bells before me...

And the only reason she refused to be officially recognized was because she was... "Following the Divine Will"...

I don't even know what that means...

This... is unprecedented.

I...

It shouldn't happen.

I'm not sure what will happen now... I never expected there to be another Saint aside from me in this land...

Things weren't supposed to go like this...