Golden Experience

In that case, it wouldn’t hurt to indulge in hobbies for the future.

“If I’m thinking of creating a Holy King… Maybe it’s a good idea to stir things up in the Wells Kingdom. After all, there are practically no human nations left other than there. I remember that Hakuma went in that direction. It feels like it’s been quite a while, but maybe I’ll go take a look.”

*

The Wells Kingdom is a country located north of Hiers. Due to the presence of monsters in the border areas like the Abon Mercat Highlands, separating it from Hiers, there hasn’t been much interaction between the two nations. That was the case.

The main industries are forestry and agriculture. Agriculture is practiced to some extent in almost every country on the continent due to limited inter-country exchanges. However, Wells seems to particularly emphasize livestock farming.

Livestock is exported to the neighboring country Pearl, and through Pearl, timber is further exported to Shape.

In this world with many monsters and challenging trade, the livestock, which seems to be some kind of domesticated magical creature, is used to pull timber. This way, the entire caravan is sold to the Pearl Kingdom, and afterward, Pearl merchants sell the timber to Shape.

However, this trade has not been very active recently.

“It seems like Lyra is buying up the timber lately. If selling timber to Aural is more profitable than selling livestock to Pearl, there might be farmers shifting from livestock farming to forestry. If that happens, it could eventually lead to trade friction involving Pearl’s food situation. Lyra really doesn’t do anything good.”

Originally, the end-user Shape, where the timber flowed, currently receives no timber at all. This is not directly related to Lyra. Due to disputes between cities surrounding the devastated Neuschloss, the mutual national sentiments in the border zone between Pearl and Shape have worsened. Since Wells’s timber is exported to Shape through Pearl, if the relationship between Pearl and Shape deteriorates, circulation of Wells-produced timber would also cease.

Similar to magical creatures like Newts and Lizardmen, the growth cycle of trees in this world is quick. While they don’t grow in a matter of weeks, it doesn’t take decades either.

Perhaps this is a design choice to ensure that resources do not deplete regardless of how much NPCs or players consume. In that case, there is a possibility that the underground resources of the Liebe Great Forest will eventually revive. It might be a good idea to fill in the once-dug tunnels, wait for some time, and then dig again.

If that’s the case, shifting from livestock farming to forestry wouldn’t be such an unreasonable thing to do.

Wells’s nobility, like others, lives a life separate from commoners, as mentioned on social media.

The players who made these posts did not seem to have positive feelings towards the nobility. However, having a privileged class like Noble Humans to maintain strength and privileges for the next generation is considered a natural societal system.

Even if individuals of different races marry, it seems children can only be born in the pre-reincarnation race. In other words, the Noble Human race consists only of purebloods, and to pass on power and privileges to the next generation, nobles must marry each other.

This leads to a challenging future if individuals of different races associate with each other. Thus, it’s better not to get involved from the beginning. This naturally creates a gap in consciousness, compounded by the existing power difference, making the nobility appear aloof.

As players initially start with so-called commoner races, their first impression of NPCs is from a commoner’s perspective. It becomes difficult to become friends with nobles from there, and without befriending them, players won’t learn about the aforementioned system.

Thus, for players, nobles become NPCs that are hard to tolerate.

Observing Wells’s capital from above doesn’t reveal any particularly unusual signs. Unlike the beautiful circular or square shapes of Hiers and Aural, it has a more amorphous, somewhat messy shape. Perhaps it’s the national character.

Peeking around the castle gate, there are gatekeepers, but they don’t seem to be conducting any inspections.

It’s unknown if inspections were done in Hiers or Aural, but since the city walls themselves serve as a defense against monsters, they probably don’t check much for the entry of criminals.

As for me, it doesn’t matter since I can enter from above anyway.

“Oh, is that the cathedral?”

Like the cathedral infiltrated in the Aural capital, a similar building is located, and as in that instance, it’s the second time around.

The influence of religious organizations varies depending on the country and era, but having such a large piece of land and a building in the prime location of the capital, where priests can walk confidently down the main street, undoubtedly indicates a certain level of social status.

In a world with angels and demons, the statements of priests must be more reliable than reality. Even though the statements are mostly nonsensical, as evident from the discrepancy between the recognition of the Archbishop of the Aural Church and the game system, people trust them due to societal trust established by the country, society, or public opinion.

Being a priest alone makes people trust without conditions.

Proof of being a priest is easy in a game with skills. Activating skills demonstrates proper training, leading to a position within the organization.

In essence, once you control a socially credited church, it becomes easier to manipulate the royal family.

*

“─So, I want to elevate the royal family of this country to a higher level. Did you understand?”

“Of course, my lord.”

This mission was much easier than the previous one. It involved appraising NPCs dressed in suitable attire, applying [Command] to characters with high levels of [Spiritual Wisdom] and [Suggestion].

After dominating the Archbishop, reincarnating them into a Noble Human, and summoning other bishops to place them under the control of the Archbishop, they were gathered in the cathedral for a grateful sermon to share the situation.

“[Summon: Kerry]. [Summon: Amalie].”

“─Yes, boss.”

“─Present, Your Majesty.”

“This is Kerry, and this is Mare. They are my confidantes, but I’ll leave them in this town for a while.”

Kerry was instructed to control the town’s largest trading company. The most information in the town gathers at the merchants and mercenary guild.

Due to suspicions about the operation of the mercenary guild, it’s considered risky to interfere. Suddenly being teleported to a strange room and receiving a sermon like, “You understand why you were called, don’t you?” is something to be avoided.

Therefore, control the trading company. Kerry, having Gustav as a subordinate, should be more accustomed than other members. The same process is applied here. By gradually taking control of the business rivals in the capital through this trading company, the economic dominance of the country can be achieved.

Once Portree deals with Lyra, she will eventually move to control the economic aspects of this country, providing assistance when needed. It’s also good to use this as leverage to extort Mithril and rare materials again.

“As for Mare, for now, I’ll have her live in this cathedral. Don’t worry, I’ll cover any living expenses. I’ll reincarnate Mare into a saint later on, so I’ll say something appropriate like “Saint…!” while lifting her up, and turn her into the idol of the Wells Church.”

Not singing and dancing idols. It means an idol in the sense of an image. Singing and dancing are fine, but it’s not necessary.

Mare was instructed to go to the poorer or less secure areas of the town and perform charity there. She was provided with sufficient funds, and if it falls short, a budget can be allocated from the trading company controlled by Kerry as a donation.

When in the less secure areas, Mare was ordered to [Command] the underground society boss present there. The boss would cause trouble for the townspeople using their subordinates, and Mare and the church members would resolve the situation skillfully.

Through repeated conflicts, the saintly personality of Mare would gradually bond with the underground society boss, and eventually, they would recognize her beliefs and feel ashamed of their actions. From then on, they would cooperate with the church quietly for the town’s security. That was the script.

This kind of thing is called “Match Pump” in old Japanese terms. It means extinguishing the fire ignited with one’s match using the water from one’s pump.

To finish it off, Mare was given the Philosopher’s Stone and reincarnated into a [Saint]. (T/N: can also be understood as [Holy Human])

While there were no significant changes in appearance for a saint, her originally blonde hair now sparkled as if transparent, with the cuticle highlighting angel rings. Her irises were also golden, giving the illusion that her entire body was surrounded by light.

“Do all saints become blond, or is it just the revival of the cuticle in their hair? I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter.”

“Your Majesty, but if I engage in conspicuous activities and am seen by players, as was the case when we met the player in Neuschloss, there is a possibility that they may speculate whether I am a player or not.”

Come to think of it, at that time, Rare, acting as a player, demonstrated the use of the inventory in front of them.

However, if it is portrayed as if Mare has been lifted up as a player saint, it would raise other troublesome questions, such as why she doesn’t post on social media.

“Even if I hide my face, it’s quite impossible to pass off as a saint with such a suspicious appearance.”

“If I cover just around the eyes, I might be able to manage… I could say something like -I can’t fight if I can’t see-.”

“Can’t fight if you can’t see, huh…”

It’s not necessarily true, as I have proven, but for that, [Demonic Eyes] or at least [True Eyes] are required. Well, it could be justified by saying that having [True Eyes] allows her to see the enemies’ appearances at a minimum.

Alternatively, making her a Saint here might awaken some kind of ‘Special Eyes’ similar to what happened with Lyra and me. However, if it’s something like [Evil Eyes], which only harbors killing intent, it would be useless. Besides, the purpose of coming to Wells was to create an NPC Saint. It would be counterproductive.

“Obtaining [True Eyes]… Let’s make a bandana-like blindfold. For now, let’s use the fabric from my dress—”

I tore off the hem of my dress, creating a long piece of cloth to cover Mare’s eyes.

Since the Queen Arachnea’s thread was the original material, even though it looked shabby, it still had considerable physical defense and magical resistance.

On the other hand, my dress seemed to have lost its qualities as material, and although it appeared to have only a torn hem, its physical defense and magical resistance had dropped to the level of an ordinary fabric.

This might be considered an action under the category of “production processing”. Since the goal was to make a blindfold, I engaged in production using my dress as material. Due to my low skill level, or more precisely, the lack of the relevant skill, a ragged blindfold was completed.

Nevertheless, the original material was Queen Arachnea’s thread, and even if it wasn’t of such a superior quality, it still possessed decent physical defense and magical resistance.

Mare was then given a shooting-type skill and unlocked [True Eyes].

Although Mare had no proficiency in shooting, I had experience with Japanese archery. If I had the time, I could use Mare’s body for training, and she should become proficient through that.

“Well, I’ll have Queen Arachnea prepare a better blindfold—”

“No, this is sufficient. If it’s a gift from Your Majesty, it will enhance the credibility of being a saint.”

It’s not clear what Mare is saying, but if she’s fine with it, then there’s no issue.

Even though [True Eyes] can see only those with LP, it can’t see through obstacles like buildings, disguised creatures like Rock Golems or Treants, which may pose a problem. To make walking in the city more convenient, a female priest was assigned as a guide.

There’s a possibility she might accompany them in battle. She, too, was reincarnated into a Noble Human and reinforced to the extent that she could withstand at least the attacks of angels.

It was at this moment that I realized that none of the members of the church had [Healing Magic] or [Treatment].

It might seem far from the fantasy priests I imagined, but in this world, members of the church seem to be more like scholars, especially historians. Only in this aspect, it seems to lean towards real-world religious scholars.

Until now, it might have been fine, but with the appearance of undead all over the continent, the birth of enemies of humanity one after another, and an increase in angel attacks—assuming it’s an event, it should naturally become like this in this era—having power is essential to gain people’s trust. History and academics are important, but with just that, one cannot protect lives.

In this situation, as an additional measure, all the bishops and priests under her control, including the Archbishop, were given [Treatment] and [Healing Magic]. Some of the higher-ups were also given [Light Magic]. Although it doesn’t seem effective against angels, using [Dark Magic] to mow them down wouldn’t reflect well on the church’s reputation.

The same applies to Mare, who is a saint. It was emphasized that she should avoid using [Dark Magic] as much as possible. Other than that, she is free to use any other type of magic.

“Oops, but more importantly, it seems like we have a target already. A flock of angels is coming. It’s perfect for the debut battle of the saint. Appeal the church for the peace of the city.”