Arc 33 Chapter 34 : The Chosen Saint

[Anastasia Romanova PoV]

Tonight is the night of the Blessing...

The night when a new Saint would be chosen through the Miracle Chosen Ritual.

To be honest, I was quite nervous about going through this ritual.

What would happen if I were chosen?

At present, I was being escorted by several Aques and a Cardinal toward the Main Temple, specifically the Ritual Chamber.

"You look nervous, Anastasia," the Cardinal remarked. "Don't worry. All you have to do is stand there while the ritual takes place."

"Thank you, Cardinal Markus," I replied. "If I may ask, what will happen after the Saint is chosen tonight?"

"There will be an official coronation so that people across the world can learn the identity of the newly chosen Saint," Cardinal Markus answered. "Every ruler of the country on this continent will attend the ceremony. The Saint will become the center of attention and the subject of discussion throughout the world for the next several months."

All the world's leaders would attend her coronation?

It seemed that being a Saint truly carried enormous influence across this continent.

A short while later, we arrived at the Ritual Chamber.

It seemed we were the last to arrive, as the other three candidates were already in position with their respective accompanying Cardinals.

At the center of the chamber stood a square-shaped altar, where each Saint candidate would stand throughout the ceremony.

"All right. All Saint candidates have arrived. Let us begin the Miracle Chosen Ritual to select the new Saint," Vicar Lorentius announced.

He was the one who would preside over the ritual.

"The four candidates are to stand at each corner of the altar in the center of this chamber."

Following Vicar Lorentius's instructions, the three other Saint candidates and I began walking onto the square Ritual Altar.

I stood at the northern corner of the altar, while the other three candidates took their positions at the southern, western, and eastern corners.

"Long ago, our Great Goddess descended from Heaven to bestow her blessing upon the woman she had chosen to help humanity fight against the evil and injustice that had emerged in this world," Vicar Lorentius proclaimed, officially beginning the ritual.

"That woman, chosen by our Great Goddess, became the Saint who would lead the Temple Authority, guide all of the Goddess's servants toward the path of righteousness, and lead us in defeating the enemies who seek to destroy humanity!"

Saint Yeriel Latuncostina.

She was the first woman to become a Saint in the teachings of the Temple of Goddess Diana.

She was also the only Saint ever chosen directly by Goddess Diana herself, causing the Goddess to descend from the realm of Gods and Goddesses into this mortal world.

Before Saint Yeriel passed away, she created an artifact at the cost of her own life.

This artifact was known as the Miracle Caller, which the Temple Authority used to select the next Saint.

According to Saint Yeriel before her death, the Miracle Caller could identify candidates who possessed the qualifications necessary to become the next Saint.

This was because the Miracle Caller had been created using Mana that belonged to Goddess Diana, which the Goddess had previously bestowed upon Saint Yeriel when she appointed her as the First Saint.

Vicar Lorentius then brought forth a staff covered in gold, with a dark-blue diamond embedded at its tip.

The roof of the chamber opened, revealing the full moon in the night sky above.

Its pale light streamed down into the chamber.

"With Your permission, Great Goddess, I—Lorentius of Romagna—shall begin the ritual to select the sacred woman You have chosen!"

After saying those words, the Vicar raised the Miracle Caller staff.

A brilliant light suddenly manifested.

A Rune appeared upon the floor of the altar.

Then, a magic formation emerged beneath our feet, surrounding the bodies of all four Saint candidates.

"En el nombre de La Diosaaaa!"

A sphere of light appeared at the center of the altar.

This was it...

The sphere of light would move toward the chosen Saint.

It was the light that would determine which of the four candidates standing upon this altar would become the next Saint.

All the Priests present in the chamber began singing a sacred hymn.

Everyone joined in, chanting words of praise to the Goddess, except for the Vicar, who continued operating the Miracle Caller.

The sphere of light grew larger.

Brighter.

Larger still.

Until finally, it burst apart into countless tiny particles of Mana that drifted into the air.

"What does this mean?"

I heard the Vicar mutter those words.

The Priests who had been singing also fell silent.

Had something gone wrong with the ritual?

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Wasn't the sphere of light supposed to approach one of us?

"The ritual has failed..." the Vicar murmured again.

"What exactly happened?"

—BANG!

Suddenly, the chamber doors flew open.

A Priest stood there, visibly nervous and drenched in sweat as he stared toward the Vicar.

"Priest Xenobria, how dare you interrupt the ritual!" Cardinal Zeno snapped, pointing at the Priest.

"Wait, Zeno. It seems Xenobria has important information to deliver," Vicar Lorentius said. "Speak. Why have you come here while we are conducting the ritual?"

"I-I don't know how to explain this to all of you, my lords," Priest Xenobria stam