CHAPTER 313: SAINTESS MONICA AND THE PRIMORDIAL LIGHT

Lyra left at the hottest time of the day, in the depths of winter. The warm sunlight pierced through the clouds and fell on the bustling Capital city, illuminating the window sills and tiles on both sides of the street.

Retracting her gaze from the brown wooden wheels, Astrid held Amalia’s hand and walked back, while Elise followed silently behind the two princesses with a parasol.

Inside the carriage, Lyra lifted the curtain and looked at the gradually receding palace gate, her clear blue eyes reflecting the flowing light like water.

Take care, Princess Astrid...

As the carriage turned the corner and the palace gate completely disappeared from view, Lyra let go of her hand and sat up straight.

On December 26, 1730 of the Human Common Calendar, the destined heroine Lyra Beckett, with a mix of excitement and reluctance, boarded a carriage alone to return to her hometown from Capital.

At this moment, the pointer of fate quietly shifted, but this time, it was another human kingdom thousands of kilometers away from the imperial capital of the Valeria Empire that would influence the future direction of the entire world.

The Kingdom of Velys, the city of Seville. As the capital of the entire kingdom and the holy city promoted by the Church of Light, this well-equipped city of opportunities accommodates nearly 60, 000 people. Countless merchants, believers, and outsiders seek their own opportunities and wealth here.

In the city center, the magnificent main cathedral of the Church of Light, a tall brunette woman dressed in a black nun’s habit, wearing a thin veil with tassel-like decorations, her long and shapely legs encased in white stockings with silver patterned designs, the roots of the stockings forming silver rings that cinched her thighs, and she wore a pair of black stiletto heels with thin crisscrossing straps near the ankles.

Although the nun’s habit was relatively conservative, it couldn’t hide the woman’s extremely alluring figure. This holy attire instead showcased her excellent feminine charm.

With her hands crossed over her chest, she quietly prayed before the statue, the light saintess Monica Angelis slightly squinting her eyes, her long eyelashes sprinkled with faint light dust.

Unlike the Valeria Empire where imperial power is supreme, the Kingdom of Velys is a typical country where religious and royal powers are interdependent and mutually restrictive. In this land, no one can be above the gods, even the Pope and the King are merely messengers of the gods walking on earth.

It has been more than half a year since the anomaly appeared in the cathedral. As the light saintess, Monica spends most of her time praying before the holy statue, in addition to spreading the teachings and performing her official duties.

However, when she occasionally has free time and recalls the holy light that was projected on the statue at that time, Monica can’t help but wonder what exactly happened in that moment.

In the southeast of the world, a country without any faith, the gaze of the gods seemed to linger there briefly.

What did ’He’ see?

A gentle sound of footsteps came to her ears, the wooden floor of the church creaking as another robed attendant walked to Monica’s side, her expression respectful.

"Saintess, the results of the investigation from some time ago are out..."

Hearing this, Monica ended her prayer and turned to look at the newcomer.

The attendant held a package about the size of two palms in her hands. Seeing Monica’s gaze fall on it, she slowly unwrapped it.

Inside the package was a magic-powered kettle.

"The Valeria Empire has recently accelerated research on magic-powered devices. This is an item we obtained through special channels."

"It has the function of heating the liquid inside, making it convenient for boiling water and making tea."

Since magic-powered devices are only circulated among the upper echelons of the Valeria Empire and their development has not been long, Monica, far away in the Kingdom of Velys, had only heard of such things but had never come into contact with them.

"Heating?"

Monica took the kettle and channeled her mental energy into it. After a while, her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She could sense that the energy driving this magic-powered device came from a fire attribute crystal stone the size of half a palm, but the inscribed magic array was quite complex, utilizing both knowledge of magic array studies and some magic runes.

Was it the improvement made by Charlotte...

After observing the object in her hand for a while, Monica then inquired about the intelligence she had previously tasked the attendant to focus on. The latter answered everything, disclosing all the recent events in the Capital.

Special perfumes, the Empire Weekly, the airship Fearless... everything revolved around that focal figure, the third princess of the Valeria Empire, Astrid Valeria...

"I’ve placed more items in the Saintess’s chamber, including perfumes, newspapers, and some disassembled components of magic-powered devices."

Monica nodded upon hearing this, her voice gentle.

"Thank you for your hard work, may you always be bathed in holy light."

As border conflicts became increasingly acute, the exchange of information between the Kingdom of Velys and the Valeria Empire has significantly decreased. Both sides are so tense that even merchant caravans crossing the border are strictly inspected down to the pockets of their shirts. Obtaining accurate intelligence from the imperial capital and even acquiring these physical items under such circumstances is indeed not easy.

"It is my honor to serve the Saintess."

Watching the attendant leave the cathedral, Monica sat down on the bench, her long and delicate legs in white stockings peeking out from the slit of her nun’s habit, elegantly pressed together.

Carefully examining the magic-powered device in her hand, the metal surface reflected fragmented light under the lamp.

The combination of magic circles and runes, the collision of matter and spirit, truly interesting... Perhaps in time it could change the entire world...

It’s just a pity that the current Kingdom of Velys might not be able to handle the stimulation of these new things.

With the royal and religious powers vying against each other, internal factions are numerous, and the great nobles intend to annex more lands and reallocate taxes.

The layers of accumulated problems are like a pile of dry grass exposed to the scorching sun, ready to ignite with just a spark.

After staring at the kettle for a long time, Monica stood up and continued her prayers.

People chase fame and fortune, insatiable in their desires, all complaining about the little they have, yet never thinking about how to fundamentally increase the size of the cake.

If the internal conflicts within the kingdom are not resolved soon, they will inevitably lead to war, and then, both internally and externally, it will result in great suffering.

The path to salvation mentioned in the holy scriptures... where exactly is it...

Closing her eyes, softly reciting the contents of the holy scriptures, Monica did not leave until the evening bell rang, leaving behind the empty cathedral.

Several hours later, the night was deep, and the Saintess Cathedral under the night sky remained as majestic as during the day. The cold, mountain-like spires of the cathedral flowed with shimmering moonlight, like the cold gleam of an arrow before it was released.

At twelve forty-five, a dark shadow slipped past the door frame and entered the cathedral through the gap.

No one noticed the presence of that shadow, the boundless night seemed to become its protective color, or to be more precise, judging by the depth, that shadow was more like the night itself, without a trace of moonlight, just pure and profound darkness.

As the shadow infiltrated the center of the cathedral, Brennild emerged from the shadow, barefoot on the wooden floor, clad only in a large black robe.

The light barrier designed to prevent thieves from invading showed no reaction, as if she rightfully belonged here. The young girl’s expression was cold, her gaze fixed on the statue in front of her, remaining motionless for a long time.

The Saintess Cathedral, the sanctuary of the Church of Light, the repository of the holy relic "The Primordial Light."

Looking at the vividly carved statue of the Holy Mother before her, Brennild’s eyes were filled with complex emotions. After a moment, as if thinking of something, her gaze became resolute.

"Moserria... Although I am very reluctant to see you..."

"But it seems there is no better choice now."

Closing her eyes, letting her consciousness dictate her actions, Brennild sensed the defensive barriers and perception signals set up all around. Thick black mist spread outward from her robe, temporarily suppressing all magic transmission.

"Truly nostalgic... the days when I was worshipped by the ants..." Brennild muttered to herself.

Feeling the scene feedback provided by her mental energy, the neatly arranged lamps and the exquisitely designed chandeliers, every inch and every detail displayed the absolute devotion of the believers to the God of Light.

After an unknown period, Brennild saw a dazzling light in the void, its aura seemingly identical to the "Sword of Light" held by Lyra.

’Moseria’s status, to place something so important here... should I say these people are ignorant or arrogant...’

If only her divine status could be so easily reclaimed... she wouldn’t have ended up like this...

Barely enduring the discomfort towards the light within her, the darkness around Brennild spread out, and upon contact with the light, black and white quickly merged, creating an extremely special entanglement reaction.

’Mother... Please forgive your daughter...’

Noticing that the anchor point for collecting faith had loosened for a moment, shifting from the void to a specific target, Brennild increased the output of her mental energy. More black mist surrounded the light, forming countless opposing air currents.

An hour later, Brennild left the Saintess Cathedral, and everything around returned to silence, only the high-hanging moon had quietly shifted its position.

With her current strength, it is quite unrealistic to forcibly alter the transmission target of faith. She must start with the holy scriptures, subtly influencing the thoughts of the believers, rewriting the faith originally directed towards her mother to the God of Light, Moserria.

Alone, it is absolutely impossible to return to the era when gods walked the earth.

Moving through the shadows of the streets and alleys, Brennild suddenly thought of that pink haired and silver haired figure that confronted her in the Monster Mountains, and the flawless glowing sword in her hand.

She must find a way to obtain the other half of the divine status at all costs.