The awkward topic finally came to an end, and both Gawain and Aunt Heidi felt as though they could breathe again—then their attention returned to the Pioneer’s Shield.

The shield, once famed as a legendary artifact, lay quietly on the table. A weathered, corroded metal cladding wrapped around the alloy core within, which gave off a faint silvery glow and looked almost brand new. Sunlight spilled across its metal components, and in the shimmer that rose from the surface, it seemed as if several centuries of time had settled. Aunt Heidi stared at it in a daze for a long time before lightly coughing twice to break the silence. "Forefather, how do you plan to publicize this matter?"

If it had been the Aunt Heidi from a few years ago, her first reaction upon seeing the shield of the protector would definitely have been that the honor of the family had been reinforced, that a treasure had returned to the vault of the Cecil Clan; she would have thought of the rise of the family’s status and the restoration of its influence. Yet the years had changed her. Now, without Gawain’s prompting, she already knew how to draw out the greatest possible value from this recovered artifact.

"We just announce to the public that our Dragonkin friends of the Empire helped us recover this shield. Other than that, there will be no additional official supplements or statements—let public opinion ferment on its own, and have the Intelligence Agency keep an eye on it," Gawain said casually. "There really is no inside story behind this matter, so the official stance only needs to say this much."

"Yes, Forefather." Aunt Heidi nodded, and then once again couldn’t help but cast her gaze at the shield of the protector. "I just really didn’t expect... that it would come back like this..."

"In the war years, this shield was crucial property of the expeditionary army; the life and death of many people rested on it, but that era is over," Gawain gently shook his head, his tone calm and low. "Now it is just a shield—its symbolic meaning may bring us some benefits, but that’s all."

Aunt Heidi glanced at Gawain, thoughtful. "You don’t want people to pay too much attention to the ’protector of Anzu Kingdom’ returning?"

"We still have many more important, more practical things to focus on," Gawain said offhandedly. "On the other hand, excessive attention and propaganda around the ’protector of Anzu Kingdom’ could easily rekindle the old knightly class and those nobles of a declined clan’s zeal for noble bloodlines and family honor, and make the social mood slide back toward worship of aristocratic pomp and bloodline righteousness—we worked so hard to suppress that; we must prevent it from making a comeback. So on this ’protector of Anzu Kingdom’ matter, the Administrative Office is to conduct only the most basic level of publicity and positive guidance."

Aunt Heidi immediately bowed her head deeply. "Yes, I understand."

Gawain grunted in acknowledgment, saying nothing more on this topic. After pondering for a moment, he asked, seemingly offhand, "How is the Observatory project that Kamel applied for coming along?"

"You mean the Palamere Observatory project?" Aunt Heidi blinked, quickly sorting through the corresponding information in her mind. "The project has already passed Administrative Office review and construction has begun. The first group of technical workers arrived at the Palamere Highlands last week, and the project is progressing smoothly at present. In addition, the first batch of resident scholars has already been selected; the one appointed as director of the Palamere Observatory is archMage Morgan Hugo."

Gawain recalled the name he had heard. "Morgan... I remember he was a former royal Mage from St. Soniel."

"Yes. Master Morgan was a member of the former St. Soniel Royal Mage Association and Astrologer Association, and for decades he served as the Old royal family’s Astrologer consultant. He is an expert in astrology, celestial measurement, and planetary studies; he once calculated a rough distance between our planet and the sun, and accurately predicted the dates on which two asteroids would skim across the sky. His scholarship is trustworthy. After the siege of St. Soniel, the Old Capital’s star-watching tower was heavily damaged in the war and has yet to be fully repaired, so this ’expert of the starry sky’ accepted Master Kamel’s invitation and came to the southern borders. When he later heard that a new Observatory based on modern technology would be built on the Palamere Highlands, he volunteered to sign up."

"A scholar like this is a treasure of the Empire and must be treated with the utmost care," Gawain said while nodding along to Aunt Heidi’s account. "Also, we can allocate an additional round of funding for the Palamere Observatory—Kamel calculated that it is one of the best ’windows’ within the Empire. The sooner we get it into operation, the better."

"Understood." Aunt Heidi accepted the order at once, then couldn’t help but look at Gawain twice, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "Forefather, you really do place great importance on Master Kamel’s plans for building Observatories and observing the starry sky."

In Gawain’s mind, the previous conversations with Melita Ponia and Nuoletta surfaced, and he recalled his impressions of the Wepland Observatory and the magnificent technologies of ancient Gondor. Though many of those memories were not his own, the regret and emotion that seeped into his heart as he traced them back were tangible and heavy. It made him let out a quiet sigh, and he looked at Aunt Heidi and said solemnly, "Projects related to researching the starry sky are important—although in the short term they may not show the huge economic benefits of railways or mines, in the distant future they may well nurture all kinds of world-changing technological achievements. And even if we set aside those far-off things, curiosity about the unknown and the distant is the greatest driving force behind mortal development—Aunt Heidi, the most mysterious, unknown, secret-filled place in this world is right above our heads, in that starry sky."

"I understand what you mean." Aunt Heidi smiled, with a trace of happiness in her eyes. "Forefather, don’t forget—I am a Mage too. Even though I can no longer lose myself in research as I did in the past, I am still a Mage, and Mages are the ones most passionate about exploring the unknown."

Gawain looked at the smiling Aunt Heidi before him, and a few seconds later, he too smiled.

"In the ancient Gondor Era, human beings had already developed a curiosity about the starry sky above their heads. Various Observatories and star-watching stations were scattered across ’windows’ in many places. Our scholars observed the cosmic starry sky through the natural channels formed by the Magic Power ripples interweaving in the atmosphere, and speculated on the secrets of our world itself. It was a brilliant and exhilarating era... yet before it could truly develop, the chaotic wave wiped everything clean.

"Now, perhaps it is time for some part of our gaze to return to the starry sky."

...

Malm Dunite, clad in a magic robe of gold and red, lowered his eyelids. His hands were folded over his chest, and the golden bead-string and talisman coiled around his wrist hung down, glinting faintly in the lamplight.

In devout prayers to the War God, his heart gradually calmed. As the faint, distant murmur at his ear—which seemed to carry boundless knowledge—slowly receded, the burly, robust old man slowly opened his eyes and looked at Matilda Augustus, who stood before him.

"Princess Veronica, on behalf of the church I thank the royal family for its support of this year’s War God festival and for its unwavering protection of the faithful," he said, his voice low and powerful. "May the War God protect you and your family. May the glorious Augustus Clan stand forever upon this land blessed by the Lord."

"Supporting the operations of churches within the Empire is the duty of the Augustus Clan, and protecting the Empire’s subjects is the responsibility we are born with," Matilda slightly inclined her head to the richly robed elder before her and spoke in a polite and respectful yet carefully measured tone. "The Sect of the God of War is the most powerful among the religions within the Typhon borders. You wield enormous influence over tens of thousands of subjects of the Typhon Empire—our King hopes to see you, as always, exerting the right kind of influence on the faithful and guiding them along the correct path."

Malm Dunite wore a calm smile and nodded slightly. "That too is the duty and responsibility the Lord has given me."

Under the solemn and magnificent iron spire, the War Grand Cathedral was brightly lit. Thick white candles burned in the wall niches like a sky full of stars, illuminating this sacred hall that belonged to the War God. The annual War God festival was approaching—this was the grandest religious holiday in this country whose mainstream faith was the War God Faith. As the representative of the royal family, Matilda had, in accordance with tradition, brought gifts and a letter personally written by the King on this day, and now this routine, ceremonial visit had run through all its prescribed steps.

When all the segments had finally come to an end, Matilda felt a slight, quiet loosening in her heart. She cast one last look at this solemn and oppressive hall and saw that the bishops and Priests present had already withdrawn in proper sequence as the ritual required. Then she drew back her gaze and nodded slightly to the War God Pope before her. "This year’s festival should be even more magnificent than in past years—the economy is on the rise, the wealthy citizens now have more money to spend on celebrating, and many people from the surrounding villages have all gathered in Aldernon."

"A prosperous scene that can be foreseen," Malm Dunite nodded. "The church will keep things in order. We will not permit anything to happen that might embarrass the royal family."

Matilda looked at the old Pope before her and showed a faint smile. "Of course. On this point, both my father and I place our trust in you—you have always been a friend to the Augustus Clan."

"Personal friendship, I know, personal friendship," Malm Dunite’s perpetually stern face also softened a little at the young woman’s smile. This robust old man, who had once served as a Priest with the army, chuckled, a hint of teasing in his tone. "You people are certainly not going to come receive my baptism."

"The members of the Augustus Clan have never received baptism from any other churches either," Matilda spread her hands with a smile. "I believe that is precisely what maintains the royal family’s balance on religious matters—we do not have only one church."

"...Rosetta has been fobbing me off with that line for many years, and now it’s your turn to say the same thing." Malm gave Matilda a helpless glance, then shifted the topic. "Let us not talk about that. Matilda, before you go back, will you tell me something about what you saw in the Cecil Clan’s lands?"

"Of course, I still have some time," Matilda nodded, but then she looked at the old Pope before her with a trace of puzzlement. "But how is it that you’ve suddenly become interested in my experiences in the Cecil Clan? You know, it’s been almost half a year since I returned, and you have never seemed to care about things outside the church."

"...Even those who are most withdrawn indoors will have times when they hear the thunder," Malm said slowly. "And lately there’s been more and more of the Cecil Clan’s presence in this city. Various bits of news have even found their way into the Sage Hall. Even if I tried not to care, I would still hear and see them."

"That is true..." Matilda said with a faint note of emotion. "An age of economic exchange... the flow of information is no longer what it used to be."

"And yet just a little over a year ago, the situation was the complete opposite of what it is today," Malm shook his head. "We and the Cecil Clan stood with swords drawn; almost everyone thought we were about to face a war. Countless War Priests had made all their preparations. On our side here in the Sage Hall, we had even lit the incense and oils for the War God ahead of time—and then peace arrived, sudden and unexpected."

"Do you feel regret about that?" Matilda looked at the War God Pope before her and asked in all seriousness.

Malm glanced at this "Empire’s Pearl." On his aged yet still bright and vigorous face, a faint smile suddenly bloomed.

"Your Highness, I am a servant of the War God, but the War God’s servants are not war-maniacs—we serve the order and fairness of war, not a perpetual longing for a world filled with war. Of course, I personally am indeed of the pro-war faction, but I acknowledge that a prosperous and stable situation is better for the subjects. It’s just that this sudden ’peace’ certainly caught people unawares... I was somewhat taken aback, and many of the bishops and Priests who had made ready for war were somewhat taken aback as well."

"That is understandable. After all, the War God’s priests have always been an important part of the Empire’s army—and this current ’peace’ situation did indeed exceed everyone’s expectations..." Matilda nodded lightly, speaking with understanding and agreement. But then she pondered for a few seconds and slowly shook her head. "Only, in my view, the term ’peaceful situation’ is not entirely accurate."

The burly Pope could not help raising his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"We have only avoided a war of bloodshed, but a war without bloodshed may still be ongoing," Matilda said very earnestly. "This is the judgment of the parliament and the royal advisory council—we will compete with the Cecil Clan for markets; we will compete with them for influence and discourse power across the continent; we will compete with them in literacy rate, in the scale of our cities, in the investment and achievements in technology. We have sheathed our sword, only to begin an even more comprehensive competition—economics, politics, technology... and all of this ultimately points to national interest.

"My royal father told me that this too is a war—a war that does not concern the sword, that needs no blood to be shed, in which no clash of arms can be heard, and yet one that never ceases for even a single second. It is only that this war has been named peace, and on the surface of the battlefront, what people can see is only prosperity—at least, it will be so until the two great monsters have decided between victory and defeat."

Malm Dunite listened quietly to Matilda’s words. His deep brown pupils were filled with dense contemplation. He seemed to be thinking, but no expression showed on his face.

After a moment, he once again placed his hands upon his chest and softly recited the War God’s name, letting his mood slowly return to calm.

"You should be able to understand what I’m saying." Matilda looked at the venerable old man before her. Although the Augustus Clan had always maintained a respectful distance from all gods, at least in private dealings this admirable elder had been a friend of the Augustus family for many years. In her childhood she had received much of his care, and so she was willing to say more to him. She knew that although he appeared stern and old-fashioned, he was in fact a quick-minded, keenly perceptive wise man—these words were something he could understand at once.

"War has in fact never ceased; only the form and scope of the war have changed." She finally nodded and summed it up in those words.

"It gives one much to ponder," Malm Dunite nodded after a brief silence, his tone deep. "This is a perspective I had never considered."

Matilda showed a faint smile. "As long as you do not mind me speaking such solemn things in your presence."

Malm Dunite smiled with the fondness of an elder toward the younger generation. "Of course I do not."