I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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043 Emergency

The ornate carriage that had departed from the Astel Diocese finally came to rest before the towering gates of Bethel, the spiritual heart of the Central Holy Order.

“Halt.”

A Holy Knight approached the coachman and demanded identification.
Having verified their credentials, the Holy Knight straightened his posture and rendered a crisp salute.

Creak—!

The heavy gates swung open, revealing the magnificent panorama of Bethel, the spiritual capital of Lumina Faith devotees across the world.
Spires soared skyward, their tips seeming to pierce the heavens, while statues of Saints graced the streets at every turn.
And before them all, the Holy See Main Hall stood in commanding grandeur.
Elina gasped without thinking.

“Oh….”

She was completely captivated by the Stained Glass that blazed with brilliant color in the sunlight.
The vista of Holy City Bethel seemed as though a temple of heaven itself had been transplanted to earth.
When the carriage drew to a halt before the Main Hall moments later, Clemens, the supreme pontiff of the Central Holy Order, came out personally to greet her.

“Ah, welcome! Our blessed Saint, favored by the divine!”
“Oh—no, please. I cannot accept such an exalted title. Your Holiness.”
“Haha. As I’ve heard, you are indeed most humble. A virtue befitting a true Saint, truly.”
“No, I… that is not….”

Elina waved her hands in protest, but the more she demurred, the more the Bishop and the pontiff showered her with praise.

“Once you become an official Saint after the Canonization Ceremony, you’ll receive even more of such accolades. Best to grow accustomed to it now, yes? Hehe….”
“Ugh….”

So becoming a Saint meant enduring even more of this suffocating flattery.
The oppressive welcome made Elina want to flee far away on the spot.
But the holy people already waiting for her had no intention of letting her go.

“Oh, most noble Saint!”
“Saint! Bestow your blessings upon us!”

Amid the fervent welcome of the crowd, she entered the Holy See Main Hall.
The interior of the Main Hall was far more lavish than what she had seen from outside.
Golden chandeliers and crimson carpets.
In the dazzlingly opulent reception room, the three of them sat across from one another and exchanged pleasantries.
Presently, the pontiff offered a benevolent smile and broached the subject.

“Well then, shall we move on to the main matter?”

At his remark, Elina’s eyes widened and her head tilted slightly in confusion.

“The main matter?”
“Yes. First, do take a look at this contract.”
Slide.

The pontiff withdrew a thick sheaf of parchment from his robes and slid it across the table toward Elina.
At the top of the front page, in bold letters, were these words:

[Central Holy Order Saint Exclusive Management Contract]
The Central Holy Order (hereinafter “Party A”) and the Official Saint (hereinafter “Party B”), Elina, do hereby enter into an exclusive contract for the promotion of commercial and religious rights and mutual benefit arising from Saint activities, as follows: (excerpt omitted)

An exclusive contract, all of a sudden?
Elina, who hadn’t given it a moment’s thought, stumbled over her words in confusion.

“I—what is this?”

The Holy See exchanged a glance with the Bishop standing beside him.
The Bishop shook his head silently.

“Ah, it seems you didn’t receive advance notice. As you can see, this is an exclusive contract.”
“A contract? Do we really need a contract to become a Saint?”

At Elina’s question, the Holy See nodded gently.
Then, in a gentle voice, he began to explain slowly.

“Indeed we do. Public interest in legal rights has grown considerably these days, you see. To prevent unnecessary misunderstandings and disputes between parties, we’ve been drawing up formal contracts between the Order and each Saint since the last canonization. Simply read through it and sign on the final page.”

Legal rights? An official contract?
Elina had grown up in an orphanage run by the convent from birth, having walked the path of faith her entire life.
It was inconceivable that someone like her would possess any knowledge of secular law.
Elina read through the exclusive contract from top to bottom, but little of its contents stuck with her.
The contract enumerated every conceivable legal right that arose from her activities as a Saint.
Publicity Rights—including name rights and image rights—were merely the foundation. Beyond that lay performance rights regarding miracles, blessings, and various ceremonial performances, along with copyright protections for all manner of publications.
Confronted with these unfamiliar legal terms for the first time in her life, Elina’s pupils trembled helplessly.

‘They must have handled everything properly on their own….’

Soon abandoning any attempt at understanding, she flipped through the pages smoothly.
Her eyes came to an abrupt halt at Article 4.
Even someone who knew nothing of law beyond Church doctrine could grasp this section intuitively and clearly.

[Article 4: Revenue Distribution and Settlement]
1. All revenue generated from the Saint’s activities shall be distributed at a ratio of ninety percent (90%) to “Party A” and ten percent (10%) to “Party B.”
2. However, settlement shall commence only after all initial costs incurred in canonizing the Saint (Canonization Ceremony expenses, Scripture revision costs, publication and printing expenses, and the like) and all investment capital have been fully recovered.

‘Ninety to ten?!’

Even though she was ignorant of legal matters, it was only natural that a ratio of ninety to ten seemed unjust.
And until the initial costs were recovered, she would receive zero in settlement payments!

“Mmm….”

Yet broaching this matter directly was no easy task for her.

‘Wouldn’t it seem terribly worldly for someone about to become a Saint to raise questions about profit distribution? Or what if people saw me as greedy?’

A thousand worries crowded her mind.
But even accounting for all of those concerns, the current ratio crossed far too many lines.
Steeling herself, Elina opened her mouth carefully, her voice trembling.

“Your… Your Holiness?”
“Yes, please speak.”
“The revenue distribution ratio here is… ninety to ten. Is that correct?”

The Holy See responded with a warm smile and a nod.

“Yes, that is precise.”

At his matter-of-fact reply, Elina nearly nodded and said, “I see.”
She gathered her courage and spoke again.

“Hmm, I see. But nine to one seems a bit….”
“Pardon?”

The moment she spoke, Pope Clemens’s expression turned grave.
He pointed out coldly.

“Priest Elina. Have you not already renounced the vain material desires of the secular world and devoted yourself wholly to the Lord?”

The Pope’s sharp rebuke caught Elina off guard.

“Oh! Yes, that’s right.”
“Sigh….”

Having reminded her of her oath as a priest, the Pope released a weary breath.
And as his explanation unfolded, Elina’s mind grew clouded.

“Priest Elina. The fact that you are to become a Saint does not erase the sacred vow you took as a priest. Therefore, in principle, all revenues from Saint activities ought rightfully to be offered to the Lord through the Order. Is that not so?”
“Ah… y-yes, that’s true.”
“Nevertheless, the reason we grant you ten percent of the revenues is out of consideration—to ensure you maintain a minimum level of dignity befitting your station. Of course, it also serves to counter the ungodly criticism from outsiders who claim the Order monopolizes all profits. This is, after all, in service of fulfilling the Goddess’s will.”

As the Pope spoke, Elina found herself nodding along.

“Ah… so there was such depth of meaning hidden behind it….”
“Precisely. So please, harbor no misunderstandings. Now, do sign, won’t you?”

In the end, Elina was moved by the Pope’s explanation and picked up the quill pen.
After a moment’s hesitation, she finally signed the contract.

Scratch, scratch.

With that, Elina officially became a Saint of the Order.
Though a peculiar unease lingered in one corner of her heart, there was no helping it.
That unease soon gave way to embarrassment.

“Hehe. And so Priest Elina has now become an official Saint of our Order. Let us offer applause for our new Saint!”
Clap, clap, clap!
“What? S-so suddenly….”

Elina flushed scarlet under the shower of applause, unsure where to put herself.
The more she blushed, the more enthusiastically the crowd cheered.

Clap, clap, clap!
“Long live Saint Elina!”
“Hurrah!”

Amid the crowd’s adulation, her anxiety swelled like a snowball.

‘Ah… standing before so many people is truly overwhelming…. Oh, and the Canonization Ceremony—what am I going to do…?’

Surely thousands upon thousands of the faithful would gather for the Canonization Ceremony.
At the thought of the ceremony just days away, her head already began to throb.

* * *

After dispatching the plant creature, we ventured deeper into the Black Forest, and the mobs that had been swarming from all directions began to thin out steadily.
The forest, which had seemed like a blood-soaked hunting ground, had suddenly grown as silent as a temple—and that worried me more. What in the world was waiting ahead?
As the monsters stopped appearing, the chattering parrot, who had been holding its tongue for some time, began flapping its beak again.

“Dark, dark! Can’t see! Frustrating!”
‘Just bear with it a moment.’
“Just a little longer! Just a little longer! You said that a moment ago! And now! When does the waiting end?”
‘Good grief….’

Once Dito started whining, there was simply no end to it. If I responded, he’d keep coming back at me, so all I could do was wait for him to tire himself out.
In the meantime, I’d better get a proper read on our surroundings.
Something about this place didn’t feel right.
I shifted over to Kyushik and swept the area with Dark Vision, taking in every detail.

‘What in the world is all this…?’

I’d already noticed the trees growing larger the deeper into the forest we went, but this was excessive.
The ancient trees around us had long since transcended any reasonable scale.
No exaggeration—towering structures rose around us, each one matching the height of dozens of office buildings in downtown Seoul.
Confronted by such a staggering sight, I found my mouth hanging open.

‘Are these supposed to be World Trees? Why are there so many World Trees?’

Dito immediately parroted back at me.

“Why are there so many World Trees? Why are there so many World Trees?”

Well, I suppose I should think of Dito’s mimicry as a kind of echo.
And at this point, if he didn’t repeat what I said, something would feel distinctly wrong.
Then Morgul clicked his tongue.

– Tsk-tsk-tsk. These trees are scattered throughout the continent. A true World Tree would dwarf an entire mountain.

A tree larger than a mountain? Was I supposed to believe that?
Was he bragging about how little I knew of this world? Morgul’s boasts always resembled some distant Earth concept about “continental scale,” so there was no reason to trust them.
And looking closer, the trees weren’t the only thing that dwarfed expectations—the vines coiling around them were equally formidable.
The thickness of a single vine already exceeded most ancient trees.
Moreover, the surface of each vine bristled with wickedly sharp thorns packed densely together.
Yet despite its grotesque size, the structure itself wasn’t fundamentally different from the thorn vines I’d seen on Earth.
Thorns sprouted along the vine stems, delicate branches bore flowers, and at the center of each bloom hung… a round eye.
…Wait. What did I just see?
The moment our gazes met, a chill ran down my spine.
I called out to Morgul urgently.

‘Master! Master! Those are eyes, aren’t they?’

At my desperate question, Morgul answered calmly.

‘Ah, indeed. That appears to be a variant of the Demon Thorn Vine. Those creatures have special eyes that allow them to hunt even in darkness.’
‘Wait. Hunt? And the fact that it has eyes means… that thing is alive and moving?!’
Whip-crack—!

My ominous premonitions were never wrong.
Dozens upon dozens of vines coiled around the massive trunk began to writhe like serpents awakening.

– Yes. They extend their tendrils to hunt their prey—.
‘No, please! Couldn’t you warn us about these things beforehand?!’

But there was no time for complaints.
Dozens of enormous thorn vines were already lunging toward us.

“Emergency! Emergency!”

In the midst of the Black Forest, eerily silent until now, Dito’s desperate siren cry pierced the air.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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