Chapter 102 | Reborn as a Saint in a Rotten World, I Refuse to Submit

Did it actually work?

God had acknowledged the validity of the contract; only then would a contract emit light.

Looking at the document before me, filled with a soft holy light and giving off an incredibly warm and peaceful feeling, a heavy stone finally lifted from my heart.

Whether or not this was God's doing, I could at least be certain that this plan was feasible.

But why had other nations never attempted to recruit mages or alchemists?

I was utterly perplexed by this until Lola, standing beside me, seemed to sense my confusion.

"Your Highness, no Saintess or Pope has ever successfully prayed for a Mage's contract document before."

"Is... that so?"

I looked at Lola in surprise. She was gazing at me earnestly. Clearly, she knew about this.

"Then why didn't you remind me just now?"

If previous generations of Saintesses and Popes had never succeeded, Lola should have told me by all rights.

"Your Highness did not ask."

...You have a point, I have no rebuttal for that.

But another question suddenly popped into my mind.

Since other Saintesses and Popes couldn't obtain a contract document, why could I?

Was it because I happened to be lucky and God was home to pick up my call?

Or was it because the Holy-Demon Conversion made me fundamentally different from other Saintesses?

Or was it... because I was a transmigrator?

"Lola, if I remember correctly, the first Sacred Knight was also the first Pope, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Moreover, both of those titles were obtained when the first Pope prayed to the heavens. Before that, the human race had no proper titles."

Does that mean the title of Saintess was also prayed for by the first Pope?

Suddenly, I felt that this first Pope might have been just like me, coming here from a different world.

"What about the titles of other races? Were they also prayed for by the Pope?"

"No, other races have their own titles. The Great Elder of the beastmen can communicate with the God of War to pray for titles. The king of the dwarves can pray to Granni, the God of the Ten Thousand Halls. The Divine Maiden of the elves can pray to the Divine Tree. Even the dragons and gnomes have their own gods."

In other words, a thousand years ago, humans didn't have their own titles?

That would have put them at a clear disadvantage against other races.

No wonder the history books are so vague about the era before a thousand years ago.

It is likely that during that time, humans were a race that everyone on the continent could bully.

Then again, was I able to pray for a title unique to humans because of my own special nature, or because I was similar to that Pope in some way?

It seems I need to learn more about this first Pope.

"Lola, I..."

"Of course, Your Highness."

"???"

I turned back to look at Lola in bewilderment, but she simply pushed up her glasses with her index finger.

"Does Your Highness not wish to see the records concerning the first Pope? Or have I misunderstood?"

"No... you haven't."

Fine, this damn mind-reading.

"In that case, let's draft the rest of the contract documents while God is still home."

This time, it was Lola's turn to look at me blankly.

"Does... God need to go home?"

I gave a disdainful smile.

How could she know that in the stories from my world, when someone went to ask for divine help, the gods were often 'not home'?

Maybe it really was just good luck, happening to catch God while He was in.

Regardless, delays lead to trouble; resolving this issue quickly was the key.

Lola soon brought over the remaining contract documents.

However, what she brought wasn't silk cloth, but... stone slabs that looked like books?

"What... what are these?"

I looked at the stone slabs carved with text in surprise. I picked one up; the weight of each one was almost identical. Such things definitely weren't made on a whim; they must have been prepared in advance.

But... what were they for?

I looked back at Lola in surprise, and she remained perfectly calm, though a hint of irrepressible excitement flickered in her eyes behind those transparent lenses.

"Your Highness, these are Document Tablets. Only with these can titles truly be bestowed."

"Document... Tablets?"

"Yes. You must use the Document Tablets to imprint the sacred power of the contract onto them. Contracts printed using these Document Tablets will carry the contract's effect. Otherwise, with so many knights in the Holy See, how could Your Highness possibly have enough blood to go around?"

Uh... she was right. There were over fifty thousand knights in the Holy See. Even if I was drained dry, I wouldn't have enough to contract them all.

"There are twenty-one sets here, totaling sixty-three Document Tablets. Your Highness needs to imprint your blood on all of them to bestow them with holy power."

Seven sets for each profession, totaling twenty-one sets for three professions. Why did that feel a bit strange?

"Lola, what are these Document Tablets made of?"

When my hand touched the Document Tablet, the tactile feedback was very warm and comfortable. This definitely wasn't an ordinary material.

"Document Tablets are made using an ancient recipe. The manufacturing cycle for each tablet isn't long, but the materials are very expensive."

"Wait... Lola, you didn't have these tablets prepared long ago, did you?"

I had only just secured the contract. Even if the manufacturing cycle wasn't long, it was impossible to finish them in an instant.

But these tablets clearly weren't a rush job, otherwise she couldn't have brought so many in just ten minutes.

"Your Highness worries too much. I simply happened to find these tablets in the warehouse. I did not order them to be made. I merely thought they might be useful, so I had people take them out and clean them."

'Holy crap!'

'Lola, are you actually a reincarnation of some legendary strategist? Can you predict the future?'

'How did you know I would be able to use these Document Tablets?'

I picked one up. The tablet was about two centimeters thick. Although it felt light in my hand, it was exceptionally tough.

"Lola, do... other knights use Document Tablets like these?"

I really didn't know anything about this. Thank goodness for Lola, otherwise I really would have drained myself dry.

I was even calculating... if I could use my monthly visitor's blood instead.

"Yes. However, the ones we have are replicas. The originals are not in our hands but in the Papal City of the Holy See. In the entire human race, only the Holy See possesses a complete set of Document Tablets."

"A complete set?"

"Yes. There are indeed some residual tablets in certain ancient ruins, but those tablets have fixed ranks and titles. They lack a systematic arrangement, and most are fragmented. Scarcely one in a hundred can be used, so Document Tablets are extremely expensive on the black market."

After a pause, Lola continued to explain.

"As far as I know, besides the complete set in the Holy See, the headquarters of the Alchemists' Association, the Mage Association, and the Adventurers' Association each have three different, usable Document Tablets."

"How many types of Document Tablets are there? I mean, in the Holy See."

"There are twenty-two types of tablets in total, including one for the Pope, seven for the Saintesses, seven for the ranks of knights, and seven for the ranks of bishops."

"So... the replicas must have flaws, right?"

Otherwise, why would they be called replicas?

And this would explain why the strength of the other seven nations could easily crush the Holy See if they united.

"Your Highness is very clever. That is indeed the case. If the original Document Tablet is destroyed, all other replicas will completely lose their effect."

In other words, the Holy See possessed a means to perish along with the other seven nations at any time!

This was equivalent to a nuclear bomb that could destroy both sides simultaneously.

It seemed this world was much more complex than I had imagined.

These Document Tablets actually had such miraculous effects.

And they could even be replicated.

Wait, if I used these tablets to trade with the other six nations... could I obtain a massive amount of funding?

No, no... these tablets were a trump card right now. Giving them away like that would only bolster the strength of others.

But on the other hand, if I didn't share the Document Tablets, would it attract the greed of the other seven nations?

If that time came, with the demon race attacking from the front and the seven nations pressuring from the back, I wouldn't be able to resist even if I had godlike powers.

Instead of being forced to hand them over later, it would be better to take the initiative and trade them for some benefits.

And most importantly, since the originals were in my hands, wouldn't I then have authority equal to the Pope?

Of course, this would require time to accumulate, but it was indeed a way for the Saintess of the Moon to stand at the peak.

When the power in my hands reached a certain level, the status of the Kingdom of the Moon... or more accurately, the status of the Saintess of the Moon, would be on par with the Pope!

Furthermore, this would make the other seven nations dependent on me!

If the Kingdom of the Moon ever faced a crisis, those nations would be forced to act!

These Document Tablets were like a massive pie falling from the sky, solving my urgent needs!

"Bring all the Document Tablets here!"

Since I had a goal, I needed to finish as quickly as possible. Delays lead to trouble, and many things can happen in a long night!

Taking advantage of the Eight-Nation Meeting tomorrow, where the royalty of the other seven nations would appear, I would bring out these Document Tablets and make a deal with them!

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lola answered, and the little nuns beside her quickly laid out the tablets one by one before me.

I used the same words of prayer. After all, when communicating with God, what if only this specific prayer could reach Him? If I changed it carelessly, wouldn't it be a waste of blood?

Besides, if I angered God, who would give me the contract documents then?

By the time I was finished, my throat was dry, and my fingertips had been pricked so many times they were beginning to feel numb and swollen.

There were twenty-one types of tablets, sixty-three in total, and each one was dotted with a smear of crimson.

After the contracts were established, all the Document Tablets emitted a soft light, changing from their original slate gray to a warm, milky white.

They looked like flawless pieces of fine jade, making it impossible to look away.

I casually cast a healing art on myself, and the wounds on my fingertips quickly returned to normal.

"Lola, immediately order people to prepare replica Document Tablets. I want seven sets... no, six."

I couldn't give them to the Holy See for now. The Pope's current attitude toward me was somewhat ambiguous.

These things could become my bargaining chips with him.

As for the other six nations, I could use these tablets to exchange for things that were highly beneficial to our country.

This included money, resources, talent, technology, and anything else that could change the current state of the Kingdom of the Moon.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lola pushed her glasses up slightly. At this moment, her gaze toward the Document Tablets had changed.

It was the kind of pupil dilation that only appeared when one was excited to a certain degree.

I didn't know why a smart person like Lola was so hell-bent on supporting me.

With her intelligence, she could have been successful anywhere.

But she chose me.

And she took a massive risk to do so.

I didn't know where she got the confidence to bet everything on me.

But these Document Tablets were likely the very things she truly wanted after gambling everything.

Could it be... that she knew beforehand that I could communicate with God?

Or rather, did she know something?

"Lola..."

Looking at Lola, who was no longer her usual calm self, her pupils trembling and even her body shaking slightly, my heart was filled with doubt.

I wanted to ask, but I didn't know how to start.

"Does Your Highness want to ask... why I would support you so unconditionally?"

Lola gave me a surprised look, suddenly realizing that her current behavior was unusual. She took a long breath and pushed up her glasses, using that habitual action to offset the trembling brought on by her excitement.

"Everyone else, out."

I didn't look away, watching Lola as she gave the order to dismiss the others.

Although Nara was somewhat reluctant, the Temple was now completely under my control, and no one dared to disobey me.

Soon, only she and I remained in the Temple!

"Lola, I've been puzzled for a while. A person with your brilliant mind has no need to stay in the decaying Moon Temple and the Kingdom of the Moon. With your intelligence, you could achieve great things no matter where you go."

I stepped down from the divine platform, walking on air until I stood before the young woman, looking down at her.

"Lola, look up and tell me... why are you staying in the Kingdom of the Moon? What do you truly want by helping and supporting me so unconditionally?"