saint ch1

Prologue – The Order

The Order.

A religious group that worships a specific god.

In web novels set in fantasy worlds, it’s a ubiquitous element, like licorice in a medicine cabinet.

Unfortunately, the Order rarely appears as a force for good in these stories.

The paladins are overbearing, the Inquisitors are eager to burn villagers, the bishops are greedy, and the moles within the shadows are either the Pope or a Cardinal.

However, when reading such web novels, while most people gloss over these details, they must have wondered at least once:

If a god truly exists, how can the Order be so corrupt?

For example, if a devout person, right before your eyes, invokes the name of God to unleash divine punishment, like a lightning bolt from the sky, how can a cleric be corrupt?

If the god is fine and dandy, shouldn’t they strike down those who exploit their name for personal gain?

Therefore, in most novels, it’s later revealed that the divine being is either the villain or indifferent to humanity.

Or, the humans are so awful that they’ve long since abandoned them.

But such things depend on the setting, so let’s move on.

That’s not what I want to talk about.

The important thing is that, in most novels, despite the Order being an incredibly corrupt power group, its influence is so immense that it outstrips most nations, all because a god exists.

Oppose the will of the Church? They immediately accuse you of heresy.

If their own investigation concludes that you are a heretic? Immediate execution.

All evil deeds and injustices are justified in the name of God, how convenient is that?

So, when I suddenly found myself in a space where only white existed, after hearing a few incomprehensible words from an entity that anyone would recognize as, “Ah, that’s a god,” and then possessed the body of a Trainee Cleric, I thought:

Wow, isn’t this awesome?

It was a very one-dimensional thought.