Lucan finally found the ring he had been searching for last month.
"So, what is this ring?" Rina asked. She was covered in mud, and her clothes were torn, revealing her toned body and bare breasts.
Lucan showed the ring to Rina. "This is the Sunring. It gives raw strength to whoever wears it, but only in sunlight."
"How much power?" Rina asked. She wasn't surprised by the artifact. There were many like it, and its value depended on how much strength it gave.
"It depends on pride," Lucan said, slipping the ring onto his middle finger. "If I'm the most prideful person in the world, then I'll be the most powerful."
"No way," Rina's eyes widened.
"That's what the legend says, but I'm not sure. Either way, the ring gives a power boost, so it's worth it."
Lucan knew the legend was true. In the game, the ring was obtained by the crown prince. He was prideful, which made him the second most powerful person. The first was Maris, the saint.
However, the game also said that the crown prince didn't get all the ring's power because he wasn't the most prideful person in the world.
Lucan wasn't prideful at all. He just wanted a life where he could do whatever he wanted, and he would do anything to achieve it.
Although he planned to become the most influential person in the world by using Maris, he knew there would be many enemies.
There were many villains who enjoyed killing the saint's relatives, and as Maris grew up, Lucan would be in danger as her closest person.
So, he needed protection, and this ring was the best option. Though he wasn't naturally prideful, becoming prideful wasn't hard for him.
"Let's go to the city and clean up," Lucan said.
"Yeah, and give me your clothes. I can't walk through the city like this," Rina said.
"Okay," Lucan agreed and handed her his clothes.
Rina covered her chest. Her pants were still in good condition. Now Lucan's upper body was exposed, but he didn't care and headed back to the city.
---
In a room deep within the Great Temple of the royal capital, the room's owner, the most powerful Archpriest Kerum, read through the report brought by his subordinate and pondered, "Hmm..."
"I see... Saint Maris truly is a saint..."
The report detailed the changes that had occurred in the Great Temple since the arrival of Saint Maris Rainsa.
A month ago, a girl was discovered to be a saint in a remote town. She was adopted into the Rainsa Duke family and entered the Great Temple. Although it had only been a month since Saint Maris arrived, numerous changes had already taken place.
Priests and bishops who had been involved in embezzlement and other misdeeds suddenly repented and returned the money they had taken. Some even left the temple to embark on pilgrimages or social service journeys. Furthermore, individuals who attempted inappropriate actions toward the saint were exposed one after another, excommunicated from the temple, and then captured by the authorities. As a result, only the earnest and honest ones remained. In just one month, the Great Temple, which had been rife with authoritarianism and corruption, had become completely clean and much more transparent.
I never thought things would change so drastically in just one month... The power of the saint is truly remarkable...
Archpriest Kerum had been troubled by the temple's corruption. He had hoped for changes with the arrival of the new saint, but he hadn't expected such dramatic transformations in such a short period.
Many of the young priests trust and nearly revere Saint Maris... Given her extraordinary beauty and talent, it's no surprise...
While pleased with the changes in the temple, the Archpriest also felt uneasy about the rapid transformation. A saint is a potent force. A remedy that works too well can also cause adverse changes.
There are many nobles who distrust the saint of common birth. They fear she might become a symbol for commoners to overthrow the royal family and nobility...
From Kerum's perspective, Saint Maris seemed uninterested in power or politics. While she might fend off trouble, it didn't seem likely that she would directly oppose the royals or nobles. However, not all power holders shared this view. Those with guilty consciences often become paranoid about being betrayed.
Some authoritarian nobles might see the saint as a threat and attempt to harm her...
However, no one would act rashly. The Rainsa Duke family supports Saint Maris.
The Rainsa family, a prestigious lineage that had produced a queen in the past, stood as her backing. With such influential supporters, those who saw the saint as a threat would hesitate to take action. Moreover, the Ironfist family indirectly supported Maris, since Maris's foster father, Lucan, came from Ironfist.
With the support of two prominent families in the capital, even those who find the saint troublesome would not dare to eliminate her. With the protection of the holy spirit, there's little need to worry...
The real concern might be Lucan. Saint Maris clearly adores Lucan. Given that he is her foster parent, this is natural, but the Archpriest senses that Maris harbors romantic feelings for him.
From generation to generation, saints have married princes, becoming queens, and there are also cases of marrying into one of the Four Noble Houses.
Until now, no saint has ever married a priest. There would be nothing wrong with it, if a saint loved a priest and wanted to marry him, the Great Temple couldn't do anything to stop it. However, every saint knew that if they wanted to marry, they had to choose someone equal in status. If they chose someone of lower rank, it would cause problems because society would bully that man, deeming him unworthy to marry a saint, even if he had the saint's protection.
Almost every saint understands this. That's why, even if any saint falls in love with a commoner, they never get together, because if they did, the commoner would have to bear society's hatred and bullying.
Kerum knew Lucan; he had met Lucan many times and had many conversations with him. This is why Kerum knew that Lucan didn't care about society's opinions. If Maris knew this, then she might marry Lucan, and this is not what Kerum wanted.
Kerum wanted Maris to marry into the royal family and lead the kingdom forward as queen.
But what can I do? I'm not evil enough to kill Lucan and Lucan is not idiot who will do anything that make saint hate him... Let's hope crown prince and those four noble master can woo saint.