Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 523: Avatar of Lord

Inside the light mirror, a brown-haired woman wearing a black nun’s outfit with a curvaceous figure knelt on both knees, her delicate white hands tightly clasped together, resting against the ample softness between her breasts.

At the very moment the light rippled, Monica, still in her prayer pose, also saw within the holy artifact’s radiance a silver silhouette as brilliant as the Milky Way.

"Is that the noble Lady Astrid?"

Hardly had Monica spoken when a soft "Eh?" came from the other end of the light mirror.

Lyra watched as the perspective of the light mirror gradually broadened, revealing the entire figure of the Saintess. Monica’s light brown hair draped over her shoulders, her mature and alluring figure fully displayed by the form-fitting nun’s attire, while her pale golden eyes gazed at them with solemn piety.

"Monica?"

Astrid spoke softly, her gaze fixed upon the light mirror formed from particles of light elements, her mind pondering inwardly.

Being able to share both images and sounds across different locations, this was already far beyond what mere light elemental particles could achieve.

The Holy Sword and the artifacts within the Church of Light must sacredly possess some other form of connection, enabling them to bridge spatial distances.

Hearing that cool female voice, Monica felt another flicker of astonishment, yet she maintained her prayer posture and replied gently.

"Your Highness Astrid, the faithful servant of the Lord speaking to you now is Monica Angelis."

"It’s been a long time."

So it truly succeeded.

During their last meeting, Astrid had hinted to Monica about the connection between the sacred artifact and the Holy Sword, mentioning a special method of communication capable of sharing images and sounds across distances.

As the Saintess closest to the artifacts within the sacred Church of Light, Monica naturally knew how to use this divine gift. But how could Astrid, a noble princess born in the Valeria Empire who had never once set foot inside a Church of Light in her entire life, know such information that even she, or even the Pope, had never heard of?

No, perhaps even saying Astrid had never entered a Church of Light was redundant. The being before her likely had never even stepped onto the soil of the Kingdom of Velys, yet possessed such deep knowledge of divine artifacts, which even members within the Church of Light understood only vaguely.

Where on earth did Astrid’s intelligence sources come from...

Through the mirror, Monica saw Lyra sitting beside Astrid. The pink-haired knight clad in radiant holy armor sat obediently, appearing at this moment not as the chosen wielder of the Holy Sword, but rather as a passive observer who had entrusted everything to Astrid.

A holy knight with exceptional affinity to light elements, recognized by half of the sacred artifact, yet also a devoted follower of Astrid Calliste. Given Astrid’s apparent knowledge of the sacred artifacts, perhaps that sword had even been specifically entrusted to Lyra by Astrid herself.

Considering this, Astrid, who was followed by one chosen by the divine, understood the very essence of sacred artifacts, and was also the reformer of magic-powered machinery, her identity became much clearer.

There was at least a ninety percent chance that this Imperial Regent was the earthly avatar of the Omnipotent Lord.

Unaware that she had already been elevated in Monica’s mind to an unimaginable status, Astrid gazed at the succubus-like Saintess in the mirror, her pink lips parting slightly.

"You too, it’s been a long time."

"Considering that Miss Monica was able to bring the sacred artifact out of the central cathedral, I assume you must have received the Pope’s permission?"

The sacred artifact stored beneath the cathedral was an object of equal standing to the Holy Sword in Lyra’s hands. Unless the situation was exceptional, even Monica, as the Saintess, would never have been able to remove it from the heavily restricted cathedral sanctuary.

"Your Highness Astrid, that is correct."

Monica replied, her pale golden eyes fixed upon Astrid as if gazing upon the deity she worshiped.

Lyra immediately noticed this, her sky-blue eyes clouding with slight suspicion.

Why does it feel like... this enemy nation’s Saintess is being overly enthusiastic towards Astrid...

Having recently fought constantly against knights of the Church of Light, Lyra could hardly feel any goodwill toward Monica. Combined with the other woman’s unusual behavior now, the girl’s alertness quickly rose.

"Learning that the front-line situation was deteriorating, His Holiness the Pope wished for someone to replace him and take command there," Monica explained softly.

Currently, the Kingdom of Velys faces external wars and internal pressure requiring constant vigilance. The Pope absolutely could not easily leave the Holy City, so this external assignment naturally fell upon the current Saintess, Monica Angelis.

"Originally, I declined His Holiness’s request by claiming illness. However, upon hearing that Your Highness Astrid had personally arrived at the front lines to inspect, and I remembered our previous agreement, I volunteered to go to the Northern Frontier."

"Since the sacred artifact possesses the ability to calm hearts and heal wounds, it is most suitable for bringing to the front lines as an amplifier for large-scale light-element magic incantations. For this reason, His Holiness approved my request."

Otherwise, no matter how strongly Monica advocated, she would never have been allowed to take the artifact out of Holy City.

Hearing this, Astrid, who had caught the key points, placed one hand against her cheek, her raised leg gently swaying, accompanied by the pleasant sound of black silk rubbing together as she slowly spoke.

"So, the responsibility of ensuring the artifact doesn’t go missing surely doesn’t fall solely on Miss Monica?"

If that were truly the case, the Pope would be far too careless.

Understanding Astrid’s implication, Monica pressed her hands gently against her chest and replied in a warm voice.

"Of course not."

"In addition to the three Knight Captains, His Holiness has also assigned two Archbishops as protective forces for the sacred artifact."

Three Knight Captains, two Archbishops, plus Monica Angelis herself as the Saintess, this already amounted to six legendary-level combatants.

Even though the two Archbishops were ostensibly there to protect the sacred artifact, now that they had arrived at the front lines, who knew whether the Pope had other hidden plans?

Never believe a wolf can resist temptation, especially when meat is placed right before its mouth.

Rather than gamble on them not reaching out their claws, it would be safer to bet that Imperial nobles are charitable souls willing to share magical knowledge with commoners.

However... didn’t Monica just reveal too much too easily?

These were all crucial arrangements of the Church of Light. Astrid couldn’t understand why the other party could so directly disclose such information.

Just during their previous encounter, they had both tested and concealed things from each other. Could it really be that in just two short years, Monica’s attitude had affected a complete one hundred and eighty-degree change?

"Miss Monica certainly is telling me everything without reservation," Astrid said softly.

She would temporarily reserve judgment on this intelligence. Only after subsequent conversation yielded more results would she reconsider its authenticity.

Seeing that Astrid still harbored doubts, Monica showed no sign of displeasure.

"Naturally. After all, Your Highness Astrid’s capabilities are evident to the upper echelons of both the Valeria Empire and the Kingdom of Velys. Someone who could elevate an unwanted imperial princess with no background to the highest throne surely possesses the ability to end conflicts and pull both nations out of the quagmire of war."

This was another reason Monica firmly believed Astrid was the avatar of the Lord.

The miracles surrounding her were simply too numerous. In just half a year, she transformed from a useless decorative princess possessing nothing but beauty into a highly skilled politician, founding the Imperial Weekly, a novelty so far beyond the comprehension of nearly an entire generation.

If Monica had known Astrid could also read ancient French and cast ancient magic, she would likely have erased her last traces of doubt entirely, becoming a fully devoted holy servant to the Lord’s avatar.

Who else but a god could chant ancient magic?

Hearing such truly heartfelt flattery from Monica, Astrid didn’t let the praise cloud her mind. She continued to sit elegantly with crossed legs, speaking softly.

"Miss Monica flatters me."

"To end conflicts, the efforts of an individual or even a single nation are far from sufficient."

Although in truth, it was sufficient. The problem was that ending the war through brute force would come at too great a cost, leaving behind an enormous mess to clean up afterwards.

From Astrid’s perspective, as long as Amalia continued performing steadily and Brennild didn’t recklessly cause trouble, the Empire’s victory over the Kingdom was merely a matter of time. The only complicated part was the subsequent reckoning with war criminals.

A direct counterattack would inevitably cause massive civilian casualties, something incompatible with Astrid’s moral compass. Furthermore, the deaths caused by war would accelerate Brennild’s awakening of power, another outcome Astrid absolutely wished to avoid.

Monica nodded in agreement upon hearing this, replying gently.

"Your Highness Astrid speaks truly."

"Therefore, I am also making preparations to end this war..."

"However, due to the complicated domestic situation in the Kingdom of Velys, the forces I can develop remain limited. Compared to the entire Church of Light, that number is insignificant."

Currently, the Church of Light is filled with fanatical zealots, obsessed only with the Pope’s interpretation of the Old Testament and blindly believing in the human-translated New Testament, completely lacking any capacity for independent thought.

Some hadn’t even noticed the self-contradictory passages within the New Testament.

The Omnipotent Lord created the world with tolerance as its foremost principle, bringing light while embracing darkness.

Yet the god depicted in the New Testament was an aloof being who could tolerate not even a speck of dust, towering high like a blinding sun, intensely exclusionary towards outsiders, even depriving non-believers of life, completely devoid of mercy and compassion, utterly disconnected from the concept of forgiveness.

Such interpretation had already strayed far from their original path.

Astrid listened, her eyes slightly narrowing in mild astonishment at the execution capability of the Saintess before her.

The more fanatical a religious organization, the less it can tolerate trainers. Monica actually dared to build her own faction within the Church of Light under such conditions, wasn’t she afraid of being discovered and burned at the stake as a witch?

"Miss Monica, aren’t you the least bit concerned about our current conversation being leaked?"

Astrid was no longer the Third Imperial Princess of the past. The current Empress was her hand-picked little sister, and the powerful authority that once forced Astrid to constantly monitor her words and actions no longer loomed over her. Even if her private meeting with Monica were exposed, no one would dare suspect or punish her.

In other words, Monica was the one who should be most concerned about information leaks. For Astrid, everything they said could even serve as future leverage to blackmail the Saintess into compliance.

"I am not concerned, because Your Highness Astrid is a wise person."

Monica remains kneeling, her plump, rounded white-stockinged thighs compressed by gravity, slightly bulging outward to either side, visibly revealing the soft suppleness of the Saintess’s body.

"The living me is far more valuable than the dead."

First, she wouldn’t expose all the believers involved in faith correction to the Regent before her. Second, if Astrid foolishly chose to leak the information, even if the Church of Light experienced temporary upheaval, it wouldn’t affect the battlefield situation.

On the contrary, as long as she stayed alive, she could still provide Astrid with a second possibility for ending the war, allying with domestic forces to end the war from within the Kingdom of Velys, sending those war profiteers to the guillotine.

Whether viewed emotionally or logically, Astrid should not pass up this mutually beneficial opportunity.

After hearing Monica’s words, Astrid’s gaze lingered slightly on the other woman’s stunningly beautiful face. After a moment, she curved her lips into a smile.

"Miss Monica’s answer has temporarily earned my trust."

A cooperation that benefits only one side often hides traps, especially when Monica was offering herself so nearly without limits.

Tonight, the Saintess’s sincerity had already aroused Astrid’s suspicions. Hearing these words had only slightly eased her vigilance, but she still didn’t completely trust Monica as her words implied.

"As far as I know, the Kingdom of Velys operates under a system where religious and royal authority coexist. Currently, the entire nation consists of followers of the Church of Light, meaning religious authority has effectively superseded royal power..."

"Changing people’s minds requires time, especially in today’s generally fanatical missionary atmosphere. The process of faith correction is bound to be slow, even inefficient."

Astrid’s fingers lightly tapped her thigh, the smooth black silk resembling chocolate dimpling and rebounding beneath her fingertips. Light shone upon it, creating a warm, glossy, and alluring sheen, so enticing one could hardly resist the urge to bite into it.

"Moreover, although religious authority has suppressed royal authority, secular kings and nobles still retain a certain degree of influence and cannot be completely ignored."

To initiate a war, it couldn’t have been the decision of just the Pope or the King alone, but rather a shared objective between them.

"Your Highness Astrid, are you referring to Iris Kroyd, the one previously defeated by the Holy Knight?"

"Precisely."

In her dreams, this dove-princess had been a key figure resisting the tyrannical little girl, later establishing connections with Lyra and becoming a bridge for restoring relations between the two nations.

"Princess Iris and I met not long ago," Monica said thoughtfully.

"In my opinion, she has already made up her mind to become a merciful and benevolent ruler."

Then her first step would naturally be to overthrow the current cruel and war-mongering old king and aristocracy.