Chapter 2. Congratulations on becoming a Saint Seat. (1)

"Congratulations on becoming a Saint Seat."

In the universe where countless stars shine, I was sitting in the dark space, listening to a voice.

"Saint Seat."

"Yes, that's right."

"I've become a Saint Seat, you say."

"S-Class Saint Seat. It seems you achieved great accomplishments in your lifetime."

Saint Seat (聖座).

These are beings that emerged when the "Grand Fantasy Realm" (幻想大界) intertwined with our world. The Grand Fantasy Realm is a world where the myths, legends, tragedies, and novels of all times and places existed as historical facts. When this realm was torn apart and merged with our world, everything changed completely.

A Saint Seat refers to the heroes from stories that 'existed' in the Grand Fantasy Realm, who were deified after death and gained transcendent power.

However... I've become a Saint Seat?

'Why me, who was crawling around as a contractor and met a miserable end?'

I did hear a strange voice just before I died. I can't remember it clearly, but it was something about being reborn as an S-Class Saint Seat.

'Was that really true?'

I urgently checked my body. My appearance was exactly the same as I remembered, but it wasn't a biological body. I had become something that transcended that.

'This cosmic space...'

The infinite space before me seemed like the Grand Spirit Realm (聖靈大界) where Saint Seats live.

'And...'

I looked at the being standing in front of me, speaking to me. It was a jester with a neutral appearance, wearing a colorful patterned outfit. It was clearly an Apostle (使徒), an assistant to the Saint Seats.

"Hehe, you still look a bit confused."

The jester smiled and said, "Great one, you have truly become a Saint Seat. You have been recognized for your lifetime achievements and are now a guardian protecting humanity."

"..."

"Now, you will observe the human world from here. And you will guide humans in a more desirable direction according to your will."

The jester winked.

"Of course, most Saint Seats prioritize their own enjoyment."

"Enjoyment..."

A Saint Seat is a guardian of humanity. But in reality, they are more like spectators of the human world, with the authority to intervene in the events they watch. The Saint Seats are most interested in the battles of contractors. When they are pleased with a contractor's performance, they provide various forms of sponsorship and sometimes convey their intentions to the contractor to guide the 'story' as they wish. They are spectators, sponsors, and game players all at once.

"Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Apostle Arlequin 49, here to assist the great one. You can call me 49."

"Is it normal for an Apostle to come when someone becomes a Saint Seat?"

"Generally, yes."

The jester... no, 49, nodded with a smile.

"Then, great one, how do you plan to act as a Saint Seat? I will do my best to assist you."

"Well, I'm not sure what to do yet."

"Ah, I see. Most Saint Seats are in the same situation. There's no manual or tutorial, after all."

49 punched his chest.

"But don't worry. I'm here. I'll teach you everything from the basics."

"Really?"

"First, do you know how to open your status window?"

"I can do that much."

"It's the same as when you were human. Try it."

I concentrated and drew a pattern in the air with my left hand. A massive amount of information appeared in the air.

'More than when I was human... so much more!'

The amount of information is much greater than when I was a contractor. Most of it is incomprehensible.

Is this the status window of a Saint Seat?

"The top line says 'Saint Seat Name,' right?"

"Yes, it says 'Undecided'... but that's because you haven't chosen a name yet. Anyway, please check the item right below it."

I did as 49 instructed and checked the item below the Saint Seat Name.

"Origin Power?"

"What's the value?"

"Let me see... 150 million points?"

"150 million points! That's a considerable amount for a starting Origin Power. You're in the top tier."

49 nodded in amazement.

"Think of Origin Power as the 'money' of a Saint Seat. When a Saint Seat takes action, this Origin Power is consumed. For example, when you sponsor a contractor in the human world, Origin Power is consumed."

"How do you replenish the consumed Origin Power?"

"There are several ways. Basically, you get it from the human world."

"Like when a sponsored contractor achieves something?"

"Yes, that raises the status of the Saint Seat, increasing the Origin Power."

I understood the basics.

"Managing Origin Power is crucial. Some Saint Seats run out of Origin Power and can't do anything. Some even go into the negative and lose their Saint Seat status."

"That's scary..."

"But you can't avoid using Origin Power. Even the 'Observation Device' for watching the human world requires Origin Power to maintain. Sitting in an empty space doing nothing would be so boring. You have to use Origin Power."

Observation Device.

So that's how Saint Seats watch the human world.

"Great one, how about we start like this?"

"How?"

"I'll set up the basics for you to start acting as a Saint Seat. Leave it all to me."

49 punched his chest again.

"First, you need an Observation Device to watch the human world. There's a high-performance one that can observe multiple places simultaneously. You can use it to find suitable contractors."

"..."

"Once you find a promising contractor, you can support them fully to achieve great results. To do that, you need to be prepared to grant timely blessings. I'll provide you with an efficient set."

As he spoke, 49 raised one hand, and a stack of documents appeared in it.

"I'll explain everything in detail using these documents. I'll support you fully to ensure your success as a Saint Seat."

"..."

"First, let's look at these documents. For example, this latest Observation Device..."

"Hey, hold on."

I interrupted 49.

"Are you trying to scam me?"

My fist hit 49's stomach, and he tumbled in the dark space.