Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 509: Knight and Her Lady

Under the dual effects of [Surging Tide of Light] and [Resonance Hymn of the Glorious Cathedral], the patients inside the quarantine zone showed significant improvement. The persistent coughing that once echoed around the beds had ceased, and the suffering these individuals endured due to the plague had drastically eased.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Regent. Your benevolent deeds shall endure through history."

Upon exiting the casting chamber, the leading medical staff immediately expressed their gratitude to Astrid.

After receiving official confirmation, those lightly afflicted patients lying in their beds, now aware the miracle was brought by this silver-haired, crimson-eyed beauty before them, some sat up, others raised their heads, gazing at Astrid with heartfelt thanks.

Even those severely sicken, though unable to move, turned their necks toward her with tearful, grateful eyes.

Although they rarely encountered those legendary high nobles, from their everyday lives they knew all too well the petty nobles and local merchants who schemed and hoarded wealth without compassion. None of them could compare to Astrid Calliste, whose elegant dark dress and aloof mood radiated a brightness akin to sunlight, brilliant and far-reaching.

Feeling the surrounding admiration and grateful gazes, Astrid’s expression remained unchanged as she spoke softly.

"Everyone, I understand your previous panic and helplessness."

Seizing the opportunity, she sought to further calm public sentiment. The woman grasped the pendant at her chest, her vivid red eyes matching the clarity of the gemstone.

"Currently, the Empire is facing powerful enemies while suffering plague invasion. With both internal unrest and external threats, placing you here was a necessary, albeit regrettable, measure."

Without explicitly mentioning the blockade of Siyak Town, Astrid merely alluded to it with subtle phrasing. Gazing across the gathered crowd, she continued.

"Surely during these days, you’ve all witnessed the plague’s devastating impact on the Empire. It acts like an invisible poison, seeking to corrupt every citizen."

"Just as frontline soldiers repel the enemy beyond our defenses, we, as subjects of the Empire, must also quarantine this plague at our borders, preventing more loved ones and friends from falling victim."

"You are the foundation of the Empire’s prosperity, the lifeline supplying our armies. Therefore, the Empire will never abandon any of you."

Had this merely been a speech, perhaps the people might have dismissed it as yet another propaganda tactic by the Imperial Regent to placate the populace. But the miracle had just happened before their very eyes, and the undeniable truth, their pain reduced to a fraction of its previous severity, could not be denied.

And most importantly, Astrid Calliste now stood here in the quarantine zone, just as she had days prior, standing before these ordinary civilians who might never once see the Emperor’s face in their entire lives.

She was the newly appointed Empress’ chosen Imperial Regent, representing the supreme Valeria Royal Family. With such a direct, personal statement, what reason was there left to doubt?

Sensing the intense gazes around her, Astrid maintained her usual posture, graceful demeanor, calm and confident. She tilted her gaze toward Lyra, whose blue eyes sparkled with joyful light now that the purification magic had taken effect, and gently lifted the pink-haired girl’s hand.

"Furthermore, someone else played a crucial role in temporarily driving back the plague."

Caught by the wrist and gently raised, Lyra blinked in surprise, her eyes wide as she stared at Astrid.

"Our Imperial Bulwark, the twenty-two-year-old Peak Tier Master Knight."

Astrid’s expression remained serene as she softly spoke.

"Lyra Beckett."

"Were it not for her assistance, I likely couldn’t have accomplished what I just did."

Thus, all eyes shifted from Astrid to Lyra.

The pink-haired girl didn’t falter or shy away as she might have in her earlier appearances. After a brief moment of daze, her gaze grew determined as she scanned the crowd.

"Everyone..." Lyra moistened her lips and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Everything Her Highness Astrid just said is true. The plague cannot defeat us, just as the iron hooves of the Kingdom of Velys have attempted countless times, yet failed to breach the Empire’s defenses."

"They underestimate our capabilities and our resolve to protect our homeland. The Empire will not abandon its people, just like a ship never abandons the water."

As Lyra’s steady voice echoed through the chamber, Astrid silently swept her gaze across the audience while stealing glances at the pink-haired girl beside her, a flicker of surprise stirring in her heart.

Lyra’s growth speed... was even faster than she had anticipated...

"...We will continue our resistance, until every enemy is driven from our lands."

Lyra straightened her back, her delicate features filled with determination.

"Please believe in the Empire, and believe in yourselves."

"We... will not be defeated."

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

Back inside the carriage, watching Siyak Town fade into the snowy distance, Astrid relaxed slightly, stretching her legs. Her smooth black stockings crossed at the ankles, her pair of finely crafted black stilettos resting lightly together, their tips touching.

"I remember when we were at Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Lyra would blush just stepping onto the stage for a competition. The first time she appeared before a crowd, she nearly dropped her sword."

Recalling the scene at the quarantine zone, Astrid leaned against the seat, her cascade of silver hair spilling over her shoulders, completely unconcerned that her stunning figure was fully exposed before Lyra.

"Never thought Lyra would become so fearless now."

Even in that sudden moment, she immediately took over the baton and delivered such an inspiring speech.

They hadn’t coordinated beforehand. Astrid had mentioned Lyra’s role before the crowd exactly to make her widely recognized, transforming her into a hero who saved the people and resisted the Kingdom of Velys’s invasion.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra snapped back to awareness, her eyes briefly lingering on the woman before speaking.

"Because the army often requires pre-battle mobilizations and wartime speeches."

"I’m the Knight-Captain, in charge of a third of the city wall defenses and the soldiers stationed there. I had to learn from the veterans and do what I must."

She didn’t possess natural talent for public speaking, more precisely, she lacked rhetorical techniques. But her emotions were sincere, her words coming straight from the heart, brimming with genuine feeling, which naturally amplified their persuasive power.

In this regard, Amalia differed from Lyra. The former invested less emotional weight but possessed exceptional oratory skills, knowing exactly how to incite the masses and steer discourse. Astrid had even given Amalia opportunities to participate in editing the Imperial Weekly, specifically to hone those abilities.

After listening, Astrid’s lips curled into a slight smile, a trace of admiration in her voice.

"That’s true... After all, Lyra has lived here for nearly half a year now..."

People grow. Just as the blonde-haired little girl who once nested in her arms had unknowingly become an Empress capable of standing on her own, Lyra, the once naive girl, had grown as well.

"But I still felt it needed to be said." Astrid gently propped her cheek with her hand, her cool crimson eyes fixed on Lyra.

"Your speech was excellent, Lyra."

She now resembled, to a considerable extent, the Knight of Holy Light described in the original novel.

Hearing this, Lyra fluttered her eyelashes and softly replied.

"For Astrid to say that..."

"I’m truly happy."

Previously, Lyra might have burst into joyful exclamations. But fresh from leaving Siyak Town, her mind still replayed the faces of plague victims writhing in agony upon their arrival.

"Astrid, according to your deduction, this plague was artificially created..."

"Then what we’re doing now, isn’t it just treating the symptoms, not the root cause?"

While [Surging Tide of Light] and [Resonance Hymn of the Glorious Cathedral] effectively clear the plague, this method was "purification," not healing.

Put plainly, these two ancient magics only dispelled the negative effects afflicting the civilians. They hadn’t eliminated the plague’s source, nor granted immunity against similar diseases.

"Mmm." Astrid nodded in agreement with Lyra’s observation.

"If we don’t deal with the plague’s core, the number of patients will only keep increasing."

When reviewing the plague report from Siyak Town, Astrid had already considered this.

If Brennild truly had complete control over the plague domain, she should be capable of far more than this. The tragedy in Siyak Town shouldn’t be confined to just one location.

Consider this, if the plague had erupted not in Siyak Town, but in the capital of the Valeria Empire, what would the consequences be?

The pathogen will spread rapidly from the capital, a critical transportation hub, to coastal cities, crippling agricultural production. Before long, internal chaos will erupt in the Valeria Empire, allowing the Kingdom of Velys to march through unopposed.

The fact that Brennild hadn’t done so could only mean one thing: not that she didn’t want to, but that she couldn’t.

"Judging from the current situation, the mastermind lacks complete control over the plague’s scale. She requires specific channels, such as relying on the disease’s natural transmission, to infect the populace."

"Assuming the outbreaks in the two other towns beyond Siyak weren’t caused by anonymous patients in incubation, then her influence likely extends no further than that."

"Think carefully, Lyra. If this plague had greater transmission capability, it would have already reached the Empire’s heartland during earlier supply transport phases, causing irreversible damage."

Yet in reality, according to the reports Amalia sent, the capital remains completely safe.

"Therefore, I can boldly speculate.."

"This plague can at most disrupt the logistics system near Liya Tower’s border; it cannot shake the entire Empire."

Otherwise, given that only early tier knights’ constitutions can resist the plague, how many lives would the Valeria Empire have lost?

After hearing Astrid’s analysis, Lyra felt slightly relieved, her grip on the sword sheath loosening.

Astrid was right... The situation hadn’t escalated to that level yet...

At the very least, today’s resonance casting had been a success, proving they possessed the ability to dispel the plague and save the afflicted.

Everything will be alright...

Lost in thought, Lyra suddenly heard faint rustling in the air, barely audible beneath the sound of wheels rolling over fine snow.

But a knight was still a knight. Unlike mages who needed spells to enhance their senses, their natural acute hearing was sufficient to catch subtle details.

Turning her head, she saw that Astrid, who had been sitting with her legs crossed, had somehow straightened into a proper posture. Her knees bent slightly, delicate white fingers gripping the top of her thin stockings, pulling them gently downward.

Astrid’s smooth, silvery hair cascaded before her eyes. The black stockings, pressed against her soft thighs, peeled away inch by inch, revealing skin as smooth and white as jade. The lace edges, loosened by the motion, bunched into dazzling folds.

Lowering her head, Astrid placed her black-stockinged foot into the high heel. To make it easier to remove the stocking, her slender heel slipped out from the back strap.

In the blink of an eye, Lyra watched the night-sky-colored garter slide past Astrid’s knee, leaving only a smooth, straight onyx-like calf exposed. Astrid didn’t pause, continuing to peel the looped fabric downward, approaching the tips of her toes.

"A-Astrid?"

Snapping out of her daze, Lyra suddenly felt heat rising in her cheeks, her voice trembling slightly.

She had just stood confidently before so many people, why, in private with Astrid, did she revert to this flustered, incoherent mess?

But that wasn’t the point... Why was Astrid suddenly...

Doing this in the carriage?

Hearing Lyra, Astrid tilted her face, speaking with mild confusion.

"What is it, Lyra?"

The sound of silk sliding across skin was crystal clear in Lyra’s ears, like fingers plucking a string. The girl grew restless, her black shoe tapping the seat with a soft thud.

"Can’t you... take them off later?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lyra felt something odd about her statement. She licked her lips and quickly added.

"I mean... Aren’t you cold?"

Although mages had their own fire-element spells for warmth, the insulating properties of clothing still mattered.

That was why Lyra wore an extra pair of thick white stockings beneath her armor, not just to prevent chafing, but also for warmth.

That... should be a reasonable excuse...

Astrid didn’t stop her actions, allowing her long, pale leg, resembling polished jade, to fully emerge from the silk. She spoke faintly.

"I never intended to get off the carriage like this."

After removing one stocking, the contrast between one black and one bare leg stood out starkly within the carriage.

Finishing, Astrid rolled the removed stocking into a ball and placed it by her skirt. Her bare, porcelain foot stepped slightly into the high heel. Then she reached for her other leg.

"We just interacted with infected patients. To prevent the plague from spreading through fabrics, it’s better to change just in case."