CHAPTER 355: AMALIA’S IDEA

An empire, from its establishment to its continuation, always experiences storms of varying sizes.

Even a mighty empire like the Lorin Empire, which once flourished, could not withstand the test of time, ultimately becoming merely a piece of history occasionally mentioned by later generations.

In teaching Amalia her political lessons, Astrid used fragmented historical materials to reconstruct the process of the Lorin Empire’s disintegration. By analyzing its administrative structure and productivity relations, she explains to the former the main reasons for the empire’s demise.

As the population continues to grow, the amount of land required for cultivation will only increase.

Before breakthroughs in farming techniques, this limit was firmly set by soil and climate, making progress impossible.

When grain production cannot keep pace with population growth, the conflicts between people will only intensify, eventually escalating into bloody wars for essential survival resources, reducing the population through such crude and simple means.

The Lorin Empire did not reach that final stage. Its division was caused by the continuous exploitation of the lower class by the upper class, and the numerous noble classes who sat idly by, consuming the interests of the farmers.

These people possessed countless wealth and could use their privileges to continuously annex land and multiply their offspring at will.

And when the number of people in the feudal empire who did not produce increased, the pressure will be passed down. The lack of land, the increase in taxes, and the insurmountable debt piled upon the farmers will eventually become the sparks that ignited the powder keg.

However, it was regrettable that this was a world with magic and combat techniques. Pitchforks and cleavers could not easily harm those noble lords. The farmers’ resistance more often leads to the collapse of agricultural production and long-term economic bleeding within the country.

Finally, under the manipulation of some nobles with ulterior motives, the Lorin Empire’s royal family, serving as a scapegoat, was massacred. The powerful empire was then divided into two sides of a mirror: one was the Kingdom of Velys, and the other was the Kingdom of Valeria, which is now the Valeria Empire.

After the war ended, the nobles made some minor symbolic compromises. For example, they slightly eased the burden on the farmers, who were exploited to the bone, by handling over a large amount of idle land for cultivation and reducing related agricultural taxes, allowing them to drink a cup of barley wine after farming.

Thus, some fat-headed nobles died in political struggles, the war brought about a significant population reduction, and coupled with the top-down optimization of the administrative structures of the two kingdoms, these three factors combined allowed the precarious human kingdoms to welcome new vitality.

............

"The Kingdom of Velys has reached a critical juncture. They urgently need a war to divert internal conflicts. Monica might have foreseen this future, but she found it difficult to change things from within the kingdom, so she pinned her hopes on the outside world."

Astrid held Amalia and whispered in her ear.

In the original novel, Monica clearly failed to achieve her goal. The war between the Kingdom of Velys and the Valeria Empire was on a scale far beyond anyone’s imagination, even ranking among the largest in human history.

"But if even she, a highly regarded Saintess of Light in the country, cannot make a change, what can the empire bring her..."

Amalia wrapped her arms around Astrid’s back, leaning into her sister’s embrace.

"I don’t quite understand."

Especially since the relationship between the two countries had already reached the freezing point. Relying on foreigners seemed too unrealistic.

Amalia’s words were not without reason. If Astrid had not read the script, she might have had similar doubts.

"Monica Angelis is the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, and rumored to be the closest person to the God of Light."

As Astrid spoke, she placed her hands on Amalia’s white-stockinged feet, which were resting on her lap. Her nimble fingers found the seams of the stockings and gently tugged them to align with her toes.

"Perhaps she received some divine revelation or a special omen, believing that the key to solving the problem lies with the Valeria Empire."

Feeling her sister’s hands approach, Amalia relaxes her posture. Her feet rested in the woman’s palms.

"Divine revelation? That fits her identity..."

"Does my sister also believe in the faith spread by the Holy Church of Light?"

Hearing Amalia’s words, Astrid shook her head and replied softly.

"I believe there might truly be gods in the world, but not necessarily the one they believe in."

Astrid’s judgment was mainly based on the broken stone tablet in the library of Elizabeth Academy of Magic and the underlying logic of this novel.

Although her sister in her past life hadn’t discussed the world-building of the entire book with her in detail, "The Innocent Knight of the Stained Light" was a fantasy setting, and the existence of gods was not unusual.

Amalia lowered her eyes thoughtfully, then turned her head to look at Lyra beside her.

Suddenly being stared at by the Fourth Princess, Lyra instinctively felt nervous, her lower back pressed against the hard desk, her muscles tensing slightly.

For some reason, when facing Amalia, Lyra always felt inexplicably guilty, as if she had done something to wrong her.

Noticing Amalia’s subtle movements, Astrid curved her lips and slowly spoke.

"If I’m not mistaken, Amalia and I are thinking along the same lines."

The Holy Church of Light was most famous for its light-attribute magic. If Monica, as the Saintess of Light, received a so-called divine revelation from the God of Light, then the person she was looking for was likely related to light.

They did have a particularly suitable candidate here, not only possessing exceptional affinity with the element of light but also wielding the pure and flawless Sword of Light.

Being stared at by two pairs of red eyes simultaneously, Lyra became even more flustered. She swallowed and spoke softly.

"Astrid... Livia..."

"What is it..."

Looking at Lyra’s timid appearance, Astrid lowered the corners of her lips, her voice gentle.

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to see you."

With that, Astrid ruffled Amalia’s hair. The latter also withdraws her gaze from Lyra and gently kissed Astrid’s forehead.

"If that’s the case, will Miss Monica’s hope be in vain..." Amalia said.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lyra enough, but from Amalia’s perspective, while the latter was not bad at fighting, her leadership or political influence was far from the standard Monica needed.

"It’s hard to say, let’s see what she does next."

In the original work, Monica and Lyra met after the war had ended. Meeting in advance now might lead to some peculiar chemical reactions.

The existing plot had changed too much, and even Astrid couldn’t be sure of the subsequent developments.

Hearing her sister say that, Amalia stopped speaking and simply held her, enjoying the warmth in Astrid’s embrace and the alluring scent that filled her nostrils.

After a few minutes, Amalia said, "Sister..."

"...I have an idea."

Astrid blinked her eyelashes and asked softly.

"What idea?"

After a moment of silence, Amalia opened her lips and replied.

"Perhaps the person Monica truly wants to find is still you, Sister..."

"Why do you say that?" Astrid asked.

Amalia buried her nose in Astrid’s hair, her pink lips slightly parted. Her voice, losing its usual coolness and becoming soft and sweet, fell into Astrid’s ears like a splash of sugar water.

"Whether the claim of divine revelation is true remains to be discussed, but your existence, Sister, is out in the open."

"You said that magical devices will significantly improve people’s living standards and simplify repetitive tasks. Fields that used to require several people to cultivate can now be managed by just one with the help of magical devices."

"The internal contradictions of the Kingdom of Velys, in the final analysis, are the dissatisfaction of the lower-class farmers with agricultural taxes and the increasing greed of the nobles. The farmers are so exploited that they can barely feed themselves, let alone have adequate clothing and shelter, so they naturally want to resist."

At this point, Amalia narrowed her crimson pupils, her eyes preparing to show a maturity that was unbefitting of her age and physique.

"War is a means, not an end. The King of Velys and the Pope of the Holy Church of Light choose to expand their territory by invading other countries and plundering what does not belong to them. This is an important means to alleviate contradictions, ensure national unity against external threats and use the plundered wealth to subsidize the common people oppressed by the nobles, creating in them the illusion that war is beautiful and necessary."

"The problem is that such a war must maintain a winning streak for a long time. Once there are signs of failure, not only will domestic public opinion become unstable, leading to a decline in morale, but there is also a risk of more brutal retaliation."

"Miss Monica may have understood the inevitability of such an outcome, but limited by her insufficient personal political influence, she cannot shake the entire country’s decision-making. Therefore, she wants to solve the domestic contradictions from another angle."

"Utilizing the potential of magical devices to improve the individual production capacity of the kingdom’s common people. With a stable food source and stimulated commercial recovery, all contradictions will be masked by development."

This was also a more difficult path compared to the other two. Inciting war could divert conflicts in the short term and was the most direct and crude method.

Optimizing the empire’s administrative structure could eliminate deadwood and leave more profits for the farmers to ease conflicts. Although it harmed the interests of some nobles, with skillful means, it could be like boiling a frog in warm water, reforming it bit by bit.

Only the promotion of magical devices was limited by magical technology and was almost universally rejected by all nobles. This had already been evident in the Valeria Empire, which was a pioneer. Applying it to the Kingdom of Velys, with its different national conditions, would be even more difficult.

Upon hearing Amalia’s analysis, Astrid quietly pursed her lips, a hint of thought appeared in her red eyes.

Previously, she had only considered the information provided by the original novel and had a preconceived notion that Monica’s purpose in coming was to see Lyra, overlooking some other useful information.

Monica had shown great interest in her from the moment they met, and this interest had not significantly diminished even after meeting Lyra.

Seeing her sister remain silent, Amalia swung her legs. The pink soles covered by thin white stockings were slightly translucent in the light.

"Sister, is my judgment flawed?"

This judgment was based on the knowledge Astrid had previously imparted to her. It was normal for there to be aspects she hadn’t considered.

Astrid came back to her senses, pinched Amalia’s soft cheek, and replied warmly.

"No, I’m just a little surprised that my little princess is thinking so comprehensively now."

It had even broadened her own thinking.

Being praised by Astrid, Amalia curved her lips and continued to rest her head on her sister’s shoulder.

"Then what do you think, Sister..."

If she had to say, Amalia’s first impression of Monica wasn’t very good. The reason, perhaps, was that the latter had sat next to her sister.

Although the student cafeteria tables had three rows on each side, only she had ever sat next to Astrid.

That woman with a slightly better figure was a bit too unrestrained.

"It’s not impossible. After all, the identity I have in the Kingdom of Velys, besides being the most dazzling gem of the Valeria Empire, is likely the promoter of magical devices." Astrid replied.

Last night, at the royal banquet, Monica’s words indicated her interest in magical devices. Perhaps it wasn’t false politeness and concealment; she truly wanted to learn about this field.

Recalling the batch of magical weapons that Carlotta had given to Duke Charles, Astrid raised her face, her expression gradually became serious.

Even if Monica had the foresight to see magical devices as the future trend, given the current relationship between the two countries, she wouldn’t hand over this core technology.

At least not until the situation stabilized, perhaps with the emergence of a king who also advocated for peace.

After chatting with Amalia for a while, the sisters went to the washroom to wash their faces and then lay down on the bed for a nap.

Amalia’s remarks today had indeed surprised Astrid, and she increasingly felt that her parenting skills were quite good, neither raising her daughter wrongly nor letting her go to waste.

At this rate, Amalia’s political theories will soon be maxed out, and the next step will be to see her put them into practice.

According to the original plot, Hibbort will die the year after Lyra graduates. By then, she would have to support Amalia to ascend to the throne and face the Kingdom of Velys in a state of war.

Seeing both Astrid and Amalia in bed, Lyra thought for a moment, put down her notes, took off her slippers, and stepped onto the stairs to get into bed.

"By the way, Lyra."

As soon as she lay down, Lyra heard Astrid speak.

"Can’t the Sword of Light transform into anything?"

Theoretically, yes.

Lyra nodded and hummed in affirmation.

"Then why don’t you transform a scabbard?" Astrid asked.

Although the sight of a beautiful girl straddling a sword with her thighs was pleasing to the eye, it felt a bit strange after a while.

Lyra was stunned for a moment, then responded dazedly.

"Oh, right..."

How did she not think of that?