Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 524: Someone is Interfering

"Does she understand what doing that truly means?"

Overthrowing the old king and nobility, sounds simple enough, but the required capabilities, sacrifices, and resolve far surpass what ordinary people can imagine.

Especially since Iris is the princess of the Kingdom of Velys, the biological daughter of the current king. To overthrow her own father’s rule during wartime means not only a transfer of power, but also personally sending her blood-related royal family to the gallows, to appease the fury of the Valeria Empire and the common people at the very bottom.

And this was the absolute limit at which Astrid agreed to cease hostilities and subsequently provide magical energy machinery knowledge.

Those who started the war must be punished. The blood on their hands must be repaid with blood.

"That child... I think she’s finally understood..." Monica whispered softly.

To change an entire empire without paying a price, it’s nothing but a delusion.

At least in Monica’s perspective, after Iris lost the Magic Exchange Competition and returned home, she faced severe criticism. In the subsequent political struggles, she gradually shed her initial naivety and innocence.

Politics is a giant dye vat. No matter whether one wants to or not, anyone who dives in loses their so-called innocence. The greatest difficulty lies in holding onto one’s original intentions.

After hearing this, Astrid didn’t offer any opinion, merely giving a slight nod to acknowledge it, then deliberately shifting away from topics concerning Iris.

"Miss Monica, there are two things I hope you can answer for me."

Seeing Astrid’s expression instantly turn serious, her wine-red pupils shimmering faintly, Monica devoutly closed her eyes, clasped her fingers together against her chest, stirring a delicate ripple like snow.

"Please, ask me, Princess Astrid."

"To you, I will answer all I know, speak all I can."

Watching the nun before her, so sincerely respectful as if facing a statue in a cathedral, Astrid couldn’t help but slightly raise an eyebrow, improving her crossed black-stockinged leg.

Even knowing the current situation wasn’t optimistic, and that ending the war required both internal and external forces to act in the same, did Monica really lower her guard against her this much?

Or was this pious demeanor merely a façade Monica was putting on? Like clothing meant for a saintess, yet worn by this mature-bodied brunette beauty before her, transforming it into a seductive, saintly-yet-sensual succubus figure, concealing her true identity as a nun.

After a brief silence, Astrid spoke softly.

"What is the attitude toward the war within the Kingdom of Velys itself?"

"Among the upper classes, the common people, and the church believers."

From the beginning of the war until now, the Kingdom of Velys had gained virtually no benefit. The Liya Tower Fortress, a tough nut to crack, remained unconquered. The battle reports were nothing but casual lists and supply losses. How could national morale possibly be maintained?

"In reply to your highness, the upper nobility is extremely dissatisfied with the current results, especially the several dukes near the border who directly commanded troops..."

They had invested manpower and resources, yet received not even a crumb of reward. Instead, their own strength had been drastically weakened by the prolonged war, and their influence within the country continued to decline.

"They’re demanding war compensation from the king, and according to the initial war orders, demanding a share of potential future lands and properties."

On one hand, the nobles feared excessively sunk costs and pressured the king. On the other, the king had initiated the war precisely to use external conflicts to temporarily alleviate internal strife.

Combined, the upper echelons of the kingdom likely had a stronger desire for war now than at the very beginning.

Still, no matter how one looked at it, to rush into dividing land and property without even a hint of victory showed just how inflated these nobles had become, utterly oblivious to the heavens and the earth.

A rare flicker of disdain passed through Astrid’s pupils. Monica remained kneeling before the sacred artifact, her two thick, white-stockinged legs tightly pressed together, her black high heels peeking out from beneath the nun’s habit behind her hips, as she spoke gently.

"As for the common people, they’re now broadly divided into two completely opposing factions. One faction is the hatred born from mounting soldier casualties. The civilians who hold this mindset harbor intense hostility toward the Valeria Empire. Backed by the faith support provided by the New Holy Scripture and the legitimacy granted by royal decrees, they blame everything on the neighboring country, believing this to be a betrayal and attack by heretical unbelievers against the messengers of the divine."

"They regard the people in the southwest as the evil demons described in the scriptures, brutal plunderers who, despite living for millennia on a land flowing with milk and honey, remain insatiably greedy, and they desperately desire to completely annihilate the Valeria Empire."

This was also one of the reasons why the Kingdom of Velys’s army morale hadn’t completely collapsed until now. The nation’s citizens’ faith rate in the God of Light had reached a terrifying, surface-level one hundred percent. Measures involving incitement, brainwashing, and other politically motivated actions, carried out through the New Holy Scripture, had spread among the ignorant common people.

They were willing to offer their blood and lives for the Pope, for the chance to receive the gaze of the divine.

No wonder in the original timeline, after Amalia ascended the throne, she gained such massive public support. Those harmed by imperial soldiers driven by fanatical faith rarely maintain the rationality to trace the source of the sin. In the end, they could only be blinded by another tyrant, dragged onto an uncontrollable war chariot, rushing toward destruction down a mistaken path.

Watching Astrid’s thoughtful gaze, Monica remained silent until those beautiful eyes refocused on her, then she softly spoke again.

"However... I actually feel something suspicious...."

"Suspicious?"

"Mm."

Finishing, Monica tilted her face upward. The fullness confined within the white crisscrossed ribbons trembled slightly with the movement of her delicate body. Her beautiful eyes looked towards Astrid, who in her heart had already become the god’s avatar.

"Afterward, I re-examined everything, trying to understand how the Church of Light transformed from its original state of tolerance and compassion into today’s narrow-minded fanaticism."

"Do you still remember, Princess Astrid, our earlier conversation about the initial emergence of faith in the Church of Light?"

Hearing this, Astrid nodded with elegant grace, replying softly.

"The first Pope received a massive stone tablet left over from ancient times, inscribed with the story of the omniscient and almighty Lord creating the world."

"Because the entire record on the original stone tablet was written in Elders speech, the Popes during the Lorin Empire era couldn’t understand its contents. Not until one day, when he was divinely enlightened in a dream, did he awaken in the middle of the night and, following the god’s words, translated the tablet’s content into what is now carried by every Light Believer, the most common version of the New Holy Scripture."

Subsequent generations of Church of Light Popes will thoroughly read this entire New Holy Scripture and add annotations based on context, serving as their personal understanding of the scripture and guiding future generations in practicing its teachings.

In other words, what truly influences the Church of Light’s core doctrines was actually the New Holy Scripture, a text that could be interpreted by the Pope, and even subtly distorted for certain purposes.

Precisely because of this, in Astrid’s view, the so-called New Holy Scripture lacks certain objectivity and authenticity. Excluding the possibility of Gemini’s interference, it might have no connection at all to the original stone tablet, the Old Scripture, in terms of content.

"Miss Monica, bringing this up suddenly, what are you trying to tell me?"

Monica didn’t beat around the bush, honestly resolving Astrid’s confusion.

"About three years ago, the Pope began adding annotations to the New Holy Scripture, incorporating many of his own interpretations."

"Some of these additions... I find it hard to accept..."

"For example, that the Lord will punish those who do not believe in Him, and that those who believe shall become the Lord’s sword, possessing the authority and duty to punish the faithless and heretics... emphasizing the omniscient and almighty Lord as the light that opened the heavens and the earth..."

This completely contradicted the doctrine Monica had grown up with and didn’t match her image of the Lord she devoutly believed in.

In the past, the Lord in the Holy Scripture was loving, tolerant, and even to some extent indifferent.

He would bring blessings to the people and grant favors, but there was no discernible pattern indicating that these were results of faith.

It was highly possible that the Lord simply didn’t care whether believers existed or not.

The Lord didn’t care.

"As the one closest to the divine, I suppose no one dares question the annotations written by the Pope," Astrid softly said, her long eyelashes appearing even more upright in the light.

Monica shook her head, her light golden pupils showing a hint of helplessness.

"Not exactly. I once privately asked the Pope about the logic behind these new annotations."

In Monica’s view, the Pope’s actions were too forced; she simply couldn’t blind herself to this inner conflict.

"But the response I received was... difficult to believe."

At this point, Astrid seemed to have guessed something, speaking before Monica could continue.

"That so-called Pope, just like the first Pope, also received divine enlightenment in a dream?"

The cold female voice fell, and Monica’s eyes flickered with surprise once more, then she confirmed Astrid’s words.

"Correct."

"The god revealed unparalleled power to him in a dream and truthfully conveyed certain information about sacred artifacts, knowledge that even millions of Light Church Popes throughout thousands of years had never understood."

"Upon removing the identity of the being, the Pope then annotated and revised the New Holy Scripture according to its instructions, ultimately producing the current version."

As for the uproar caused by the release of the revised New Holy Scripture, Monica didn’t elaborate further; it wasn’t the focus of tonight’s discussion.

"With the support of the New Holy Scripture, the kingdom and the church have gradually reached their current state."

Exactly at this time, perfectly aligned with the king’s war progress, everything was suspiciously convenient.

"It does sound rather suspicious," Astrid replied.

But if connected to Brennild, everything becomes traceable.

Three years ago, Monica’s mentioned timeframe exactly matched that incident in the Monster Mountain Range, when she and Lyra fought Brennild together. Later, Headmaster Anthony arrived at the scene but found no shadow present.

At that time, Brennild had fled all the way from the northwest of the mountain range to the Kingdom of Velys and tampered with the Church of Light’s scripture, greatly accelerating the war’s progress.

"If it were merely that... I might not feel so strange..."

Mentioning this, Monica unclasped her hands, emerging from her prayer posture.

"I just have this feeling... like if some mysterious force is amplifying people’s negative emotions."

"But no matter how I search, this eerie sensation lacks any tangible evidence."

No magical fluctuations, no traces of arcane particles passing through, and Monica had only shared this thought with Astrid.

Like a pure intuition, Monica was certain that this silver-haired, red-eyed foreign princess could understand her meaning, even if it lacked logical support.

Sure enough, after hearing Monica’s words, Astrid’s beautiful face showed no surprise.

Another of Brennild’s tricks. Back then, inside the barrier, when she had approached the blood cocoon up close, Astrid had also felt that strange sensation dragging down her mood.

"I understand... What about the other factions of commoners?"

"Have they realized that the war cannot improve their lives?"

"..."

The topic returned to where it had been earlier. Monica took a few seconds to recall, then spoke.

"The other faction of commoners has begun questioning what the war has truly brought them, and whether the Church of Light’s current doctrines are correct."

"Of course, this group is still a minority. After all, the Church of Light is now the sole faith of the nation. Even if doubts exist, such discussions can’t be openly held."

But... if the war expands further, those with similar thoughts will inevitably increase...

Especially the soldiers fighting at the frontlines. Not every one of them is a villain who desires to plunder another nation’s wealth or actively invade other countries.

Monica had already inspected the Church Knight Order. Even within the seemingly fanatical Church of Light, unity of heart wasn’t guaranteed. Some Light Knights, having witnessed the battlefield’s cruelty and understanding the implications of their actions, were now in an unstable, wavering state.

And these people were exactly Monica’s next target. If even formerly devout Light Knights had begun developing war-weariness, then what about the soldiers who had been ’voluntarily’ converted to faith in the Church of Light? Their hearts might already be rejecting this damned war.

Soon, more soldiers will realize the truth, that they were nothing but expendable war material. Whether the Kingdom of Velys achieved its strategy or the Valeria Empire won final victory, the ones always injured were these ordinary soldiers, while the goals remained the nobles high above.

"I believe such people will grow in number," Monica said.

Astrid didn’t reply, merely curving her lips in a faint smile, affirming the statement.

"One last matter... Miss Monica."

The stunningly beautiful silver-haired girl fluttered her eyelashes a few times, her voice clear and crisp.

"I’m curious, how do you view your current actions?"

"As a citizen of the Kingdom of Velys, and the highly esteemed Saintess of the Church of Light, you’re discussing state secrets with the regent of an enemy nation."