System, you didn't tell me that the Saint's from Earth.

[Apologies. I was unaware of this fact as well.]

What is he doing here?

[It seems that the Sun God has found a better vessel from Earth and decided to transport him here to develop him more easily.]

Better vessel? I thought there could only be one vessel at a time?

[Although that is mostly true, there is the unlikely chance that both their bodies have the potential to be vessels. The Sun God has decided to replace the current Saint with a new one that is a better fit for Him.]

Wait a second. The Gods can mess around with Earth?

[The Gods' influence is limited if they are not in a vessel. However, they still have enough power to be able to do this.]

Then I guess the Sun God also told his followers that this is the true Saint?

[Correct.]

And why is this idiot singing the national anthem?

[...I do not know.]

Zero watched as the Saint continued to "pray" for the townspeople. It seemed that the Saint did not know any prayers and had to adopt something that he could memorize. Zero sighed as the crowd continued to cheer. If only they knew what the Saint was saying.

Suddenly, a man in ragged clothing and an unkempt appearance pushed past Zero and rushed out of the crowd. His eyes were red as he ran directly for the Saint.

"CURSE YOU!" the man screamed as he brandished a dagger. "DIE!"

The man attempted to lunge for the Saint but was unsuccessful. All the knights had already unsheathed their swords and focused on eliminating the threat. The man's outstretched arm was immediately carved into many pieces before he could blink, the dagger dropping to the ground.

Screams resounded out through the crowd as they scrambled backward after they recovered from their shock.

As one of the knight's swords swung toward his neck, the man knew he had failed in his assassination.

"My daughter..."

His final words were heard only by Zero, as he was the closest person to the man. The knight's sword cleaved through the man's neck effortlessly, splashing hot blood among the crowd and Zero's face. The Saint had since stopped praying and watched the man's head fall to the ground with a calm face. He then turned to the crowd with a bright smile.

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"Do not worry!" said the Saint. "The threat has been taken care of!"

The crowd was silent before they burst into applause. The knights, wary, did not sheath their swords but continued to search for threats.

Zero frowned, trying to get the blood off his face. Looks like this Saint wasn't as pure as he seemed on the surface.

The Saint and his entourage continued down the road to the church, the crowd following along. Zero stood in place, watching them until they vanished into the distance.

"Woah!"

It was Harry, who had just arrived at the Mercenary Guild.

"What happened to you?"

Zero pointed a thumb at the man's headless corpse on the ground. Several people were already dragging the body away and cleaning up the street.

"He... what did he do?" Harry asked.

"Tried to assassinate the Saint."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Zero shook his head. "Something about his daughter."

Zero then raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you so curious? The other people here basically worship him and didn't even question what just happened."

Harry laughed in embarrassment as he scratched his head.

"Oh, have I not told you? I'm not from the Empire of the Sun. I follow the Church of Starlight."

"I see."

"But don't worry!"

Harry hurriedly waved his hands.

"I'm not one of those zealots. My parents kind of forced me into the teachings of the God of Starlight."

"Your religion also has a Saint, right?"

"No, we have a Saintess."

Zero, confused, asked the system.

System, isn't the God of Starlight a male God? Shouldn't they have a male vessel? Is it another fake one?

[The Gods do not care what gender the vessels are. They have already long abandoned those concepts.]

I understand.

"I had the pleasure of seeing the Saintess from far away once," Harry continued. "She was so breathtakingly beautiful..."

Zero, speechless, watched as Harry closed his eyes to remember the fond memory.

"What about the Saint of the Church of the Sun God?" Zero asked. "What do you know about him?"

"Not much," Harry answered. "Only that he has a spotless reputation and is known for his kindness and generosity."

Zero looked at the blood still staining the street. He remembered the Saint's calm and expressionless face when someone was being butchered in front of him. The man's last words didn't help with the Saint's case, either.

Zero would have to figure out what the Saint was hiding. After all, he would probably have to kill him in the future. Zero walked to an area where he could wash the blood off his face before he returned to the guild with Harry.

"Our results should be back by now," Zero said. "Let's go in."

Zero and Harry opened the doors, walking to the front counter.

"Just in time," the white-haired woman said. "I've just reviewed the report and it seems that everything was as you stated."

"I've ranked up to silver now, right?"

"Yes and no."

The woman took off her glasses to wipe them.

"You've indeed ranked up. Both of you, actually."

Harry pointed at himself.

"I ranked up too?"

"Yes, both of you have been promoted to five-star bronzes."

The woman placed the glasses back on her face.

"Since you both participated in the assignment, the merit points were split between the both of you."

"He did all the work though!" Harry pointed at Zero.

"Sorry, those are the rules," the woman replied. "However, I do have an assignment that just arrived that you both can take to rank up to silver."

The woman placed a fresh sheet of paper in front of Zero who picked it up and glanced over it.

Collect ten ogre eyeballs. Reward: 50 Merit Points

"Then we'll take this," Zero said.

"The closest sighting of ogres was in the Darkens Forest, I believe. Good luck with your assignment. " the woman looked back down at her work. "Return when you've completed it."

Zero nodded and walked out of the building. It looked like Dragon's Horn would have to be pushed off for another day.

"Sorry," Harry said guiltily. "You could've done that mission without me. I know how important ranking up is to you."

"It's fine," Zero sighed. "Let's finish this fast and hurry back."