We all took our seats, and Saintess Cosette closed the door.
A second later, the carriage tilted.
The octopus jumped.
We passed through the ship’s invisible barrier like it wasn’t there.
Water rushed around us, but none of it entered the compartnt.
The light outside dimd as we sank deeper, the Nautilus disappearing below us.
The ride was smooth.
As we moved through the water, Saint Maverick turned slightly toward .
"Caelum, we are aware that you possess a working understanding of the Pri Five and the Exorcist Union.
"However, since this is your first visit to our headquarters and you have formally aligned yourself with the System Church, an official briefing is required," he said.
I leaned back against the bench and sighed, a little louder than necessary.
"Go ahead."
’This is good. Even if I already know most of it, it’s better to confirm what lines up with the present.’
"First, we will address the concept of Saints and Saintesses.
"These individuals are selected by Gods to act as extensions of their domains. Their primary role is to gather faith. Once sufficient faith is accumulated, the God may elevate them to a higher existence, commonly classified as an Angel."
Saintess Cosette raised a hand. "Which sounds great until you realize you stop being a person and start being a tool."
Yuna frowned.
Saint Maverick ignored the comnt and continued.
"For the System Church, the designation carries a different aning. We are individuals who have achieved complete access to the System. This access is not partial or restricted. It is comprehensive. As a result, we are perceived as being chosen by the System itself."
"What....?"
Yuna had an incredulous expression.
"Chosen by System? The System would not... no, in the first place how did they even get access to the System? They can’t have it unless they’ve stepped foot on Wageah."
As if Saint Maverick had heard her words, he spoke, "Access to the System traditionally requires direct contact with Wageah, the other world. mbers of the System Church have not undergone that process. And yet, we possess access. This is why we are called Saints and Saintesses, the ones favored by the System."
"What favored? We are just freaks of nature," Saintess Cosette muttered.
"Statent: subjective. Correction: classification of Saints and Saintesses is based on asurable System access paraters, not biological anomaly."
Saintess Cosette glanced at the sphere. "You really don’t know how to have a normal conversation, do you?"
"Negative. Directive: optimize efficiency. Social nuance: nonessential."
Saintess Cosette and Judy kept bickering like sisters.
The carriage rocked slightly as the octopus adjusted its course.
I made so more small talks with everyone, subtly collecting information.
’This is bad.’
What little things I found out were what I feared.
’There are still only twelve Saints and Saintesses. It’s the sa number from my past life.’
’That ans, Charlotta’s brother hasn’t beco a Saint.’
’...did he fail?’
The process to beco a Saint wasn’t simple. It wasn’t a blessing or a ceremony.
It... was an operation.
chanics worked on the candidates, fused them with "special entities", thus altering the subjects so they could interact with the System directly.
The operation depended on three things:
Luck, skill of the chanic, and compatibility of the subject.
Only a few people—subjects—had bodies and minds that could handle the changes.
The chanics of System Church were lacking in skills(for an operation of this level), so the result mostly boiled down to luck and compatibility.
Compatibility was hard to find.
Only a few people had compatibility.
Most of the Saints and Saintesses were "created" due to luck.
’System Church doesn’t kidnap people from Earth since they have a huge population in their headquarters.’
’They only kidnap people when they have found them to have compatibility.’
Charlotta’s brother—Henry—definitely had compatibility.
That was why he’d been kidnapped.
’Did the chanics ss up the operation on him?’
Their skill level wasn’t exactly reassuring.
From what I’d seen and heard, most of their success ca from brute force, luck, and repeating the sa procedures over and over until sothing worked.
’If they failed...’
I didn’t like where that line of thinking went.
If they had failed, there was a chance Henry was already gone, discarded into so trash can in a back alley.
’No. They run thousands of operations every day. If he’s a compatible subject, they wouldn’t rush his operation, and prepare first.’
The System Church didn’t treat compatible patients the sa way they treated test subjects.
They prepared. They observed. They adjusted their thods until they believed the odds were as good as they were going to get.
’I should still have so ti to rescue him.’
The thousands of operations done every day were to create golems and machines that would serve as the servants of the System Church.
My thoughts ca to a halt as we felt the carriage shake.
"Looks like we’re here," Saint Dexter said.
He reached for the door, ready to seal it in case we were still underwater. When he opened it, salty air rushed in instead of water.
We were above the surface.
Everyone stepped out, one by one.
The octopus let out a low, satisfied sound and then sank back, its body blurring for a mont before it vanished completely. Teleported back to the Nautilus.
Saint Dexter stood beside as I took in our surroundings.
"This is the Island of Uprising. Our headquarters exists within a sub-domain anchored to this location," he said.
Dark sea stretched in every direction behind us.
In front, a narrow strip of beach led into a forest, and beyond that, mountains rose like a jagged wall.
The sky overhead was a mirror.
Its reflective surface showed the sea instead of real sky.
Two suns were visible in that sky. They looked like eyes—
I quickly looked away.
"Co on We don’t want to stand here all day," Saintess Cosette said.
She started walking. Saint Dexter moved in behind , and Saint Maverick stayed at my side.
It looked like an escort.
And it was an escort, but also a trap.
They weren’t just guiding . They were making sure I didn’t decide to run.
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