Translator: La0o9 Editor: La0o9
Reystromia.
Negary had become more silent over the past few years. Because of the war, Reystromia no longer enjoyed the prosperity it had in the past, and most people here were either deserters or mercenaries.
There were also still some desperate smugglers, but not many.
〖 I had thought that in lull of Nala’s appearance, Eldridge would fight back, but strangely, he had chosen to remain indifferent instead 〗Negary’s voice could be heard, but he was nowhere to be seen on his throne: 〖 Granny Seal’e, your prophecy seems to be incorrect 〗
“Lord Negary, this old one’s prophecy is not wrong. Eldridge will surely clash with Nala. This is their destiny” Granny Seal’e who was standing by the throne, as usual, confidently said.
“I have seen it with my own eyes, the flames are about to go out. Eldridge Andrea has made his choice, he has risen because of the Last God, and so he will be bound by the Last God. Since he did not choose to confront Nala, that meant that he had chosen to back down”
〖 Eldridge… 〗Negary sighed. Despite them never meeting face to face before, this opponent and food that he had coveted for a long time, had made him a little disappointed: 〖 And so he chose to let Nala win 〗
“Yes, he had backed down, there were no other choices for him. Everything of the Last God was restraining him. And now that Nala had appeared, this renowned King hailed as the greatest ruler in Royas’ history, had chosen to back down. He chose to pass on the responsibility that originally belonged to him to Nala”
〖 It’s almost time, yes? 〗 Negary asked. This had been the 21st year that he had been in this world. In these 21 years, he had grown from a clueless remnant soul to becoming one of the beings that stood at the apex of this world. He died in this world, became a remnant soul in this world, changed in this world, grew in this world, and now, he would finally break off from this world.
“Yes, Milord, the Black Abyss is near, everything will soon come to an end. But no matter what they choose, it will be us who will obtain victory!!” Granny Seal’e declared excitedly.
〖 Then recall the three troops 〗 Negary’s voice was calm. The ‘three troops’ he spoke of were all the forces that he had organized and developed over these years. Including the reorganized Crowmen, the elite Ghostmen, and the secretive Dragonmen.
…
Nala sat on the side seat of the audience hall as the Princess.
Sitting next to her was Seth the First with a fake smile on his face. In the last few years, his figure had become a bit inflated and gave off a kind impression at a glance.
Nala uncomfortably moved her arm a little.
This damn lady’s dress is limiting my range of movement. If I use just a bit too much strength, it’ll completely rip and become ruined, I really can’t understand what the use for such clothes are at all.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, our counterattack is finally over. Marshal Rhys will soon return with news of victory and an ambassador of Royas. After we complete the post-war negotiations with Royas, all those who have made significant contributions will receive the rewards that they are due” Seth the First maintained his amiable smile and raised his cup, declaring this exciting news to the aristocrats who had gathered around.
The war simply could not go on any longer. The biggest problem of which was population, when it came down to it, a war was only a game of population. During these long years of war, large numbers of young men had been conscripted into the army, both voluntarily and not. If the war went on any longer, the country would be literally crippled.
The current state was just right, a group of nobles had died, a new group of nobles had risen, and the country could be settled for at least the next few decades, everything seemed as beautiful as it should be.
Luen Donner was also here, wearing a luxurious priest robe and a smile on his face as he sat to the right of the King.
He was currently 30 years old, in a poor family, a man this age would be considered old, but for those who had obtained the Divine Grace, they were still considerably young. And it was at this age that he became the youngest Pope in the Church of Divine Grace’s history.
There were many factors involved in this, one of which was undeniably his own efforts, but his own status also brought him a great advantage. His late mentor was Cardinal Augustin who had considerable influence in the Church, thus leading to the majority of the Cardinals supporting him during the Church’s most recent election.
One other reason was war. War had always been a great opportunity for forces and organizations to change their chains of command. For example, Luen’s greatest rival for the position, a Cardinal who was older and more prestigious than he was, lost his life in the war.
Coupled with his status as an aristocrat, he could better coordinate the relationship between the Church and nobility. Finally, with a bit of “luck”, he finally realized his ambition and became the Pope of Divine Grace.
The next step is to take this opportunity to spread the influence of the Church
Luen glanced at Nala and Seth the First by his side. The reason why the Church of Divine Grace agreed to withdraw Nala from the frontlines was precisely because Seth and he, along with the remaining domestic nobles, had reached an agreement.
During the peace talks with Royas, they had worked together to pressure Royas’ ambassador, using the advantage of being the victor, they forced Royas to allow missionaries from the Church of Divine Grace into their country.
This was how humans were, Luen’s initial goal was only to become a Cardinal; after becoming a Cardinal, he set his eyes on becoming the Pope; and right after becoming a Pope, he wanted to become the greatest Pope in the history of the Church and achieve his great ambition of spreading the Church’s influence to the entire continent!
God’s light should shine on more people, so as to prevent the advent of the Black Abyss
Luen thought to himself.
After becoming the Pope, he obtained access to various secrets hidden within the Church, the most important of which was related to the disaster that spanned the entire continent, the Black Abyss.
Within the records of the Church of Divine Grace, the light of God cut through the Black Abyss, which produced the holy flame and purified a corner of the Black Abyss to form this continent. But God did not stay for long, as his battle with the Black Abyss continued.
During the First Empire, it was due to the false God and Dragon who abandoned God that the Black Abyss recovered and resurfaced. During the Second Empire, it was because everyone had prayed and obtained the attention of God once more that they managed to calm the Black Abyss again.
But this corner was simply too small, and God did not grant them his attention for a lot of time. Following the fall of the Second Empire, the faith of their God slowly faded away. During the Fourth Empire, this faith was even distorted to become a faith of all spirits of the world.
Fortunately, after the collapse of the Fourth Empire, the first Pope found the first Divine Grace of God from the remains of the Second Empire. Only when the light of God can shine on the world once more would the Black Abyss be completely purified and the world return to normal.
The more people that believe, the more they can attract the eyes of God
Luen’s heart was full of calculations about expanding the Church of Divine Grace.
…
Not too long later, Rhys returned to the capital together with the many noble knights of the army. Naturally, there were also several ambassadors of Royas who accompanied them. For the next few days, the negotiations for a post-war treaty as well as the necessary reimbursement of benefits for both sides took place.
The ambassadors of Royas made concessions for much of the demands, but there was one thing that the ambassadors would not budge on no matter what: that was, Nala, as a representative of the Interkam Kingdom, must personally head to the border and sign the final agreement.
