CHAPTER 357: THERE’S NO TIME

[I think I made a mistake in one Chapter. I don’t know which one but I wrote Lyra is Magnus level and Master Knight. It happened only in one Chapter so sorry for that. I will correct it if I find it.]

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Night fell, the moon hung high above the branches. At the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, in the room temporarily assigned to Monica Angelis.

A woman in a pure white gown sat before the coffee table. She elegantly crossed her legs, holding a thin parchment in her hands. Her beautiful eyes flickered, absorbing the information written on the paper.

In the days since arriving in the Valeria Empire, Monica had spent most of her time reading the Empire Weekly apart from necessary social events. This publication, founded by Astrid Calliste, indeed provided her with a suitable channel to understand the empire.

As for why she had been reading for so long, although a single issue of the Weekly had limited information and wouldn’t take much time even with careful reading, its early founding date and numerous issues meant that reading through them all would realistically take a day or two.

Time flowed by. After reading two issues of the Weekly, Monica stood up and faced the changing mirror in the room. She gently removed her elegant gown.

In the mirror, the woman’s skin was fair and smooth, like ivory. Her graceful figure, even when facing the mirror directly rather than intentionally accentuating her curves from a side view, could still be glimpsed.

Taking clean clothes from the wardrobe nearby, Monica entered the washroom. She lightly touched the water release button on the wall, selecting the appropriate water temperature according to the markings on the tiles. In no time, warm liquid gushed from the showerhead above, cascading onto Monica’s soft, smooth hair.

No matter how many times she used it, Monica couldn’t help but praise the convenience these magic-powered devices brought to human life.

No need to dig wells for water, no need to build fires to boil it. Merely through pipes and two small magic crystals, one could enjoy comfortable bathwater almost effortlessly.

This was the living environment of the Valeria Empire’s nobles. Compared to the backward Kingdom of Velys, it was like heaven and earth.

Feeling the flowing water glide across her face and caress every inch of her skin, Monica closed her eyes, allowing herself to be immersed in the warm current.

Simple magic-powered devices like lights or water outlets were not complicated in their working principles. They were generally composed of a starter array, magic runes that transmitted magic power, and a magic crystal of the corresponding attribute.

It shouldn’t be difficult for the Kingdom of Velys to introduce such magic-powered devices.

As for complex magic-powered devices like the "Fearless," which integrated numerous arrays and runes, overcoming the related technical challenges would still take considerable time.

In a way, the Valeria Empire had already left the Kingdom of Velys far behind. If not for the fact that these magic-powered devices were currently limited to the noble circles and had not yet been applied to the lower strata, the Kingdom of Velys’s impending declaration of war might have hit a wall of iron.

Recalling the war that was highly likely to occur in the future, Monica’s eyes lowered. Her slender eyelashes were misted by the steam, like flower petals adorned with dew.

If the relationship between the two countries weren’t so tense, perhaps she could have had a good talk with Astrid about the research and introduction of magic-powered devices.

At least in the past, the Holy Light Church was open and inclusive, allowing freedom of belief while permitting the common people to access magic. The soil for magic-powered devices to take root was likely broader than in the Valeria Empire.

Everything seemed to have gone back to the past.

After her bath, Monica, now clad in a black silk dress, returned to the sofa. She took out the Holy Light Emblem she carried with her and began her evening prayer.

After an unknown amount of time, a hurried knock on the door awakened Monica, who was in prayer. She glanced at the wall clock, 9:20, and then stood up to go to the door.

"Miss Monica, are you asleep?"

A voice came from outside the door. It was Iris.

Monica opened the door and saw a neatly dressed purple-haired girl standing outside.

She had interacted with Astrid earlier that day. From what Astrid had implied, the key to resolving the issue lay with the Kingdom of Velys, not the empire. Without resolving it beforehand, it would be difficult for them to cooperate. Thus, Monica had intended to find Iris to talk to if the opportunity arose. She hadn’t expected her to come knocking at this hour, saving her the trouble of finding another time.

"I was just performing my routine prayer, and haven’t rested yet."

As Monica finished speaking, Iris also noticed the metal emblem in her hand, a holy flower blooming amidst thorns.

"Her Highness the Saintess is indeed the most devout and closest believer to the Lord. Even in a foreign land, you remember your routine prayers every night."

Hearing Iris’s words, Monica smiled. She casually smoothed her brown hair that fell to her collarbone and replied softly.

"Since I can remember, prayer has been an indispensable part of my life. This is just a habit, and it has nothing to do with whether I am devout in my heart."

"There are now many followers of the God of Light, and not a few come to the Holy Church to pray every day. How can one easily determine a person’s heart based on this alone?"

"Don’t you agree, Your Highness Iris?"

The purple-haired girl frowned slightly upon hearing this, as if Monica had hit a nerve. Before she could speak, Monica continued.

"I assume Your Highness Iris’s late-night visit must be for something important. It’s rather impolite to keep you standing."

"Please come in."

With that, Monica turned and gestured for Iris to enter. The latter did not decline, changed her shoes, and walked into the room.

The door "clicked" shut. At the same time, a fleeting glint flashed in Monica’s eyes. Sensing the fluctuation of magic in the air, Iris paused and looked back at her.

"Your Highness Iris need not worry, it is merely a barrier to prevent sound from spreading," Monica said softly, the tips of her hair glowing faintly.

"After all, it’s a conversation between girls; it’s rather inappropriate for others to overhear."

She had added some blessings from the God of Light to this soundproofing barrier. Even an Arcanist mage wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on their conversation without making a sound.

Iris narrowed her eyes upon hearing this and quickly sat on the sofa in front of the coffee table.

"Miss Monica..."

"You’ve been very close to the Third Princess lately. Are you sure she is the person you are looking for?"

Before entering the Valeria Empire’s borders, Iris had discussed the purpose of this visit with Monica in the carriage. It was then that Monica had first mentioned the name Astrid Calliste to her.

In response to Iris’s question, Monica neither denied nor affirmed, but replied leisurely.

"Yes, and not entirely."

"I originally thought I was looking for a person, but it seems the situation is not like that now."

In Monica’s imagination, the destined one must be a being long watched by the God of Light, possessing the power to change the world. She had once believed Astrid to be that person.

"What does that mean?"

Lacking the necessary information, Iris naturally couldn’t understand Monica’s riddles and asked her in a low voice.

"Miss Monica’s words are always difficult to understand."

Hearing Iris’s evaluation of her, Monica smiled and shook her head.

"I haven’t hidden anything from Your Highness. At least, so far, I have answered all your questions truthfully."

Iris frowned even tighter at this. "If that’s the case, I’d like to know who exactly Miss Monica is looking for."

"What is the purpose of your visit, and how can they help you?"

Perhaps because the soundproofing barrier provided sufficient privacy, or because the two came from the same country, and their previous conversation in the church had clarified their shared goals, Iris’s trust in Monica had slightly increased, and her words became more direct.

"I wish to find the person who is watched by the God of Light, and seek the path to salvation for my kingdom from her."

"Lyra Beckett is that person."

Iris blinked a few times upon hearing this. The name seemed vaguely familiar.

"Is she also a participant in this competition?"

Monica nodded, confirming it.

"Miss Lyra has been assigned to Group C. According to current intelligence, she is a second-year student at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, a peak Sorcerer and a peak Grand Knight, displaying extraordinary talent in multiple subjects."

"The most crucial point is that she is very proficient in casting various light-element magic and possesses an extremely high affinity for light elements."

After all, the land beneath their feet was the territory of the Valeria Empire, and obtaining this information was already quite difficult.

"So... Miss Monica also wants her to believe in the Lord?"

Iris crossed her arms and looked at the brown-haired woman across the table.

Monica crossed her legs upon hearing this and asked softly.

"In Your Highness Iris’s eyes, do I appear as such an eager missionary?"

She didn’t care how many people believed in the Lord, or rather, the Lord didn’t care.

As soon as she finished speaking, thinking of the current fervor of the Holy Light Church, Monica sighed and could somewhat understand why Iris thought that way.

"I just feel that the destined one should have the ability to illuminate the entire land. But currently, Miss Lyra is only a peak Sorcerer, and what she can do is quite limited."

Perhaps this destined one still needed time to grow. At least, according to the information Monica had received, Lyra was a once-in-a-century genius who would undoubtedly become an Arcanist mage in the future.

"..."

After a brief silence, Iris lowered her voice and spoke.

"Therefore, you’ve shifted your focus to Astrid Calliste?"

"But she isn’t of the Emperor’s direct bloodline, merely holding the title of Princess without the actual right of succession..."

As Iris finished speaking, Monica calmly interjected.

"Your Highness, you seem to have fallen into a mental trap."

"The one who can avoid bloodshed is not necessarily the Emperor, just as the one attempting to start a war is not only the King."

"You must look beyond the superficial to the essence, young Princess."

Unfazed by Monica’s casual lecture, Iris lowered her head and looked at the transparent glass in front of her.

Seeing that Iris, though young, was receptive to advice and not as stubborn as her siblings, Monica softened her tone, her cherry lips parting slightly.

"Let’s set aside the Holy Church for now and talk about your recent interactions, the thoughts of the royal family members, and various kingdom nobles."

"Has Your Highness ever considered why the kingdom has reached this point?"

"Is war truly the only way to solve problems?"

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

"Little Astrid, you mean Miss Monica wants to use magic-powered devices to carry out magical reforms and thus alleviate the increasingly sharp internal conflicts in the country?"

Outside Post City, at the Countess’ manor, Charlotte combed her hair while speaking to the person sitting on the bed.

"If you think about it carefully, given the Holy Light Church’s past practices, the resistance to promoting civilian magic-powered devices in the Kingdom of Velys might have been far less than what we are facing now."

In the Kingdom of Velys, royal power and religious authority were in contention. The Holy Light Church’s consistent stance was that God loved all people and encouraged commoners to learn magic within a certain scope, which was considered receiving God’s grace.

Under this overarching principle, even if the magical knowledge contained within magic-powered devices were leaked, it wouldn’t easily prick the sensitive and fragile nerves of the nobles, making public promotion quite possible.

"Currently, this seems to be Monica’s most urgent demand."

Astrid rubbed the magic crystal she had infused with mental energy using the Aura Vault spell, her two ink-black silk legs crossed, and slowly said.

"But unfortunately, it seems time is running out, no matter how you look at it."

"Moreover, my recent interactions with Monica have been a bit too frequent; I need to avoid suspicion appropriately."

With the great war imminent, Astrid, as a Princess of the Empire, couldn’t risk considering so much for an enemy country. If Monica mishandled things and the Kingdom of Velys, injected with new blood, were controlled by the rising hawks and stabbed the Valeria Empire with sharper knives, wouldn’t she become a traitor who sought glory and eternal sin?

Furthermore, the core problem of magic-powered devices had not yet been overcome, namely the high price of magic crystals used as energy. Before obtaining cheaper and more controllable energy sources, the civilian use of magic-powered devices remained theoretical.

Even the parents of Lyra, to whom she had given the water heater back then, were somewhat reluctant to use it.

Hearing Astrid say this, Charlotte’s hand holding the comb paused slightly. After a moment, she spoke with a complex tone.

"Yes... time is too short..."

If the development of magic-powered devices could have advanced by another ten years, even if it couldn’t prevent the war, the Valeria Empire at that time would likely have been able to resolve the war quickly through its national strength gap.

"What does Little Astrid plan to do now?"

Astrid tidied the skirt scattered on the bed, her pink lips parting slightly.

"Although I don’t want to admit it, we have indeed walked into a dead end, Lady Charlotte."

"To solve the problem, two conditions must be met: first, the new Emperor must have strong control over the empire, capable of driving the rapid development of magic-powered devices and using this momentum to sweep away the invading enemies."

"Second, someone on the Kingdom of Velys’s side must step forward to prevent the war, otherwise both belligerent parties will face prolonged bleeding."

"I understand that Princess Iris is a typical proponent of peace. Perhaps Monica can leverage her status to make some moves."

Astrid didn’t expect her to be able to curb the pro-war faction within the country before the war broke out. She only hoped that when the war bogged down, Iris could step forward at the opportune moment.