Chapter 96 Saint of Rubina Faith
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”It’s been a while… Your Majesty? Or should I call you…?”
The timid voice belonged to Cecilia, the priestess who had once treated Kanata. Just as he’d guessed, she was a cleric of the Rubina Faith—and a candidate to become the next Saint.
”Ah, just call me Kanata,” he said easily.
”Then… Kanata-sama. My apologies for contacting you so late.” Cecilia bowed deeply.
She had been trying for days to arrange a meeting between Kanata and the Church’s higher officials. The matter concerned the future of the Rubia Dukedom, and she had requested an audience as soon as possible. But only yesterday had she finally received word that the Church would meet him—ten days after her initial petition.
”For some reason,” Cecilia said carefully, “our… senior priests have been disappearing one after another. It’s caused considerable delay.”
”I see,” Kanata replied. “That must’ve been rough. Funny thing, I’ve had my own share of strange visitors lately. Suspicious types knocking on my door every night. Haven’t been sleeping much.”
”What? Truly? Are you all right?” Cecilia’s eyes widened with concern.
”Oh, I’m fine,” Kanata said lightly. “They all disappeared before long, so no problem.”
”That’s… good to hear. Still, when you say ‘disappeared,’ where did they go?”
He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe some monster’s dinner by now.”
At that, Cecilia fell silent.
Their exchange might have sounded harmless to an outsider, but unease twisted inside her chest.
Honestly, what are those useless old fools thinking?!
When Kanata had requested this meeting, the Church already knew much about him—his true identity, and that the Grand Duke had agreed to become his vassal. It was clear the discussion would revolve around the terms of that arrangement.
But the priests, greedy for power, were not as honorable as the Grand Duke. They had delayed the meeting on purpose, hoping to uncover Kanata’s weaknesses—or even assassinate him if they could. Yet one by one, the hardliners had vanished, leaving no trace. Yesterday, the last of the senior clergy above Cecilia’s rank had disappeared too, forcing all responsibility for negotiations onto her.
The Holy Mother herself had given her the order. Panicked but determined, Cecilia had hurried to prepare—and now stood here, personally guiding Kanata to the cathedral.
From their conversation, she understood the grim truth: the priests’ schemes had failed, and those who’d plotted against Kanata had all been captured.
If he accuses the Church… I’ll just have to pretend I know nothing.
Everything had been the priests’ doing, outside the Church’s control. That was the line she would hold—no matter what.
If she faltered, who knew what kind of unfavorable contract he might force upon them?
If the Rubia Dukedom must fall, so be it, she thought. But the faith of Rubina and our Holy Mother—I must protect those at any cost.
Her resolve hardened.
* * *
”By the way, Cecilia,” Kanata said as they stepped into the cathedral, “are you familiar with the Saint System?”
At those words, Cecilia’s body went rigid.
”…So you know that name,” she said quietly. “Then… Kanata-sama, may I ask how much you already understand?”
Kanata hesitated only briefly before answering truthfully.
”Pretty much everything, I think. How it works, what it can do. The Saint—or was it the Holy Mother?—I know about that state as well.”
”You’re… very well informed,” Cecilia murmured. “I’m only a Saint candidate, so I know little beyond the surface.”
”In that case, it’d be faster to talk directly to the Holy Mother.”
The instant he said it, Cecilia froze.
Could she really let him meet her?
Doubt and unease tightened in her chest, robbing her of words.
Then—
A voice broke through the solemn silence of the cathedral.
”Bring him to the Holy Mother’s Chamber.”
It was unmistakably her voice.
Cecilia hesitated for a long moment.
Was it truly wise to take him there? The doubt refused to fade—but that voice had been real. The Holy Mother herself had spoken.
She drew a slow breath, cutting through her hesitation, and nodded.
”…Understood. This way, Kanata-san.”
At the far end of the grand hall stood a door known as the Sanctum’s Gate—the threshold of the forbidden. Cecilia produced a silver key and slid it into the lock. The heavy door opened without a sound, releasing a breath of cold, still air that welcomed them inside.
The chamber beyond was filled with quiet and chill.
No lavish ornaments, no gilded icons—only a silence so deep it felt sacred.
At the center stood a device of pale blue light: a transparent capsule, wrapped in a web of slender cables.
Inside it, a young girl slept.
She was fragile, almost ethereal. Long silver hair drifted around her like strands of moonlight, her peaceful face illuminated by a faint inner glow. It was as if time itself had stopped to preserve her.
”…That’s the Holy Mother?” Kanata breathed.
Cecilia nodded gently.
”Yes. She is our Holy Mother.
She has slept here for many years… never once waking.”
A faint vibration rippled through the air.
Then the girl’s eyelids trembled and slowly opened.
Her eyes—dim, yet piercing—looked straight at Kanata, as if seeing through everything.
And then, a voice resounded.
Welcome, O final king.
It did not come from her lips.
Yet the words echoed directly within Kanata’s mind, sending a chill down his spine.
Even as her body slept, her consciousness was awake. She knew all that happened, even from within this chamber. That was the essence of the Saint System.
Before the girl who slept like a vessel of divinity, Kanata could only stand still—awed and wordless.
She was too sacred, too pure… and because of that, unbearably human in her sorrow.
(So this is… what it really meant.)
Kanata recalled what Faris had once told him—a story about the ancient civilization that had once ruled this land. They had left behind a supreme computational system, a core network that governed entire cities and could be accessed only by designated administrators.
The Saint System.
Originally, it had been an artificial intelligence, operating around a homunculus core—an existence without a soul, designed to manage the city with divine precision. But as centuries passed, knowledge of its true purpose was lost. Only the outer facility remained, worshiped as a holy relic.
Hundreds of years ago, during an age of chaos and calamity, the ancestors of Rubia sought salvation. They chose a young girl—barely more than a child—and integrated her into the system.
A place meant for a soulless construct now received a living human being.
And when that offering was made, the system responded.
The land prospered once more. The climate stabilized. Monsters and invaders were driven away.
To the ignorant masses, it was a miracle—divine intervention itself.
From then on, the Saint became known as the Holy Mother, the heart of their faith.
But the price was cruel. She was trapped within the system, spending centuries imprisoned, used only as a tool to grant prayers and maintain the functions of the city.
This is nothing short of human sacrifice, Kanata thought.
A mix of anger and grief welled inside him.
How many sacrifices had been buried beneath the word “sacred”? The girl sleeping before him—the nameless Holy Mother—was its living symbol.
’…Don’t look at me like that. I became the Holy Mother by choice,’ a solemn voice said.
Her voice, clear yet tender, resonated through the chamber.
In her time, Rubia had been on the brink of collapse. The people had grown complacent, believing their city would always be protected by the Saint’s power. When that power weakened, despair swept through them. None tried to act. They only prayed.
Though the system preserved the body, it could not protect the soul.
A human soul integrated into the Saint System might endure for a century—or five or six, at best. When that soul began to erode, the system’s blessings weakened as well. Thus, before complete decay, a replacement was always needed.
When she was chosen as the next Saint, it had been such a time.
She learned the truth of the Saint System—and her destiny along with it.
If she refused, the nation would fall. She had “chosen” to accept, but in truth, she’d had no choice at all.
Kanata spoke quietly. “You understand why I came. I want you to transfer full control of the system to me. That’s the reason for this meeting.”
The air quivered faintly, as if the system itself reacted to his words.
Cecilia turned toward him, startled.
”Just now… what was that?”
Kanata didn’t answer. His gaze remained on the sleeping girl.
’All control… you truly want that? Do you understand what it means?’ her voice asked inside his mind.
”I do. Better than anyone in this country. You will be the last Holy Mother. The Saint System will end—and with it, the Rubina Faith.”
He had come here to end the myth of Rubia once and for all.
’I see… That may be best. I wouldn’t want Cecilia to end up like me.’
”Holy Mother…” Cecilia whispered.
’Just one condition, if I may.’
”That depends on the terms.”
’Unless you agree, I’ll trigger the system’s self-destruction. Within a radius of five hundred kilometers, life will be impossible. Are you willing to accept that?’
”You’re a terrible negotiator,” Kanata sighed. “Fine. Let’s hear it.”
’It’s simple. Marry Cecilia—and make her happy. That is my only wish.’
Her request was heartbreakingly gentle. The Holy Mother had cherished Cecilia like her own child, her granddaughter in spirit. She wanted nothing more than the girl’s happiness.
Hearing that, Cecilia collapsed in tears.
”…Understood,” Kanata said softly. “I’ll grant that wish. But are you sure about me? I’m not exactly a model man.”
A faint, playful laugh echoed in their minds.
’You suit her tastes just fine. Do your best—and keep her smiling.’
Not long after, Kanata found himself proposing to a flustered, tearful Cecilia, while the Holy Mother watched, laughing warmly.
It took three full hours before they could all calm down again—and by then, Cecilia had regained her usual composure.
* * *
”Um… Kanata-san,” Cecilia asked later, hesitant, “if you end the system… what will happen to the Holy Mother?”
Kanata glanced at her. “Ah, that’s a bit of a misunderstanding. I’m not shutting the system down.”
”You’re not?”
”No. I’m simply restoring it to its original form—returning control to a homunculus core instead of a living human. It’s not perfect, and performance may drop a little, but it shouldn’t cause chaos… probably.”
”I’d appreciate a little more confidence,” she said quietly. “And the Holy Mother…?”
”When she’s fully separated from the system, her body—sustained only by it—will collapse.”
In other words… she would die.
”No… there must be something we can do!” Cecilia cried.
’Cecilia, it’s all right,’ the Holy Mother said gently. ‘I’ve lived long enough. My duty is done. I don’t wish to linger, half-alive, with nothing left to offer.’
Her words carried calm acceptance. Indeed, trapped within that capsule—unable to move, to touch, to live—what kind of existence was that? Perhaps, at last, she would find peace.
”Holy Mother…” Cecilia sobbed, clutching the capsule once more.
Kanata sighed softly. No helping it, huh…
Quietly, he gave Faris the order to begin calculating Plan B.
Notes:
• Rubia Dukedom – A small nation between Mercuria and Flora, first cited in Chapter 38 during Kanata, Elriese, and Alusia’s dungeon-strategy talk. It hosts one ruin-linked Dungeon targeted because Kanata—following Elriese’s advice and Kuu-chan’s records—seeks control of Dungeons (direct cause) to gain their power (underlying cause); Kanata plans to pressure swift surrender; connection: future conquest; no known direct relationships; defining trait: strategically sandwiched.
• May – Blonde, soft-eyed shrine girl. ch14–15. Gentle and pleading (“Please… just let us go…”), timid but loyal, relies on Mina’s strength. Came with Mina to save Sara, but was disarmed and bound by Kanata as his captive maid.
• Faris – A sentient intelligence weapon managing dungeon systems. Uses humanoid interface Faris-chan. Loyal to Kanata, logical, obedient support.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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