Chapter 158: A Gift from the Holy Court

Finally completing the mission bestowed upon him, Archbishop Ian, the messenger, visibly relaxed, and the smile on his face became genuinely sincere.

Seemingly unable to wait, he packed away his belongings and intended to bid farewell to the Western high-ranking officials led by Yuna.

Of course, due to the previous unpleasantness, the high-ranking clergy and priests under the Saintess would undoubtedly not give this representative from the Holy Court any kind faces—ignoring him, they all rose and left, leaving the messenger standing there awkwardly.

However, after hesitating for a moment, Ian approached a certain Miss White Fox, who was also preparing to leave with Yuna, and bowed slightly with a hand on his chest.

“Excuse me for intruding, but I wonder if Miss Xī has some free time in the near future for an arrangement?”

“Hmm?”

As she looked up to assess the middle-aged bishop with his neatly cut golden hair, the emblematic mark of the Holy Empire, Miss Vilyric couldn’t help but be slightly surprised.

Although he had openly displayed great affection and respect for her since their first meeting, occasionally casting anxious glances toward her during discussions as if worrying some words might upset her, Miss White Fox guessed that Archbishop Ian likely wanted to find an opportunity for a conversation with her…

Nonetheless, it was unexpected for him to openly attempt such a move in front of the Saintess, almost akin to undermining her.

Stealing a glance at the blonde girl beside her, Yuna still appeared calm and serene; at least on the surface, she didn’t seem upset by Ian’s abrupt actions, simply pausing with Miss White Fox to wait for what would follow.

Given this, although Vilyric felt somewhat conflicted, she could not continue to ignore him.

“I’m just a layperson unlike you important figures who are bogged down with matters every day. Time is ample for me, but with the current situation being unstable and personnel frequently shifting, it would be better to wait until the army is stationed and we enter the Holy City before discussing matters slowly.”

“Uh…”

While refusing, she didn’t shut him down completely, allowing her to maintain face for the Saintess while not totally severing ties with Ian’s side.

Similar to how the Holy Court seemed eager to befriend the existence of “Xī,” the Priestess was also quite interested in the actual governing body of the Holy Kingdom’s capital—the last lineage of the three divine descendants.

She would sooner or later make a visit to the Holy Court.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the messenger initially displayed surprise but quickly glanced at the expressionless Saintess beside Miss White Fox, and it appeared a light of realization crossed his face along with fleeting regret and embarrassment, prompting him to remedy it.

“Ah, yes, exactly! I was too hasty and didn’t consider this thoroughly. My apologies! By the way… as an apology, how about I give you this item as a token of sincerity?”

Saying this, Ian took something from beneath his robes and carefully extended it to Vilyric in front of Yuna.

“?”

Although she was a bit puzzled, under the current circumstances, refusing again would be hard to justify; Miss White Fox could only examine it briefly before accepting the item from Ian’s hand.

Seeing this, the Archbishop breathed a sigh of relief, nodded in satisfaction, and once again bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your understanding. Though saying so might cause a slight… cough, I sincerely wish to welcome you all to the Holy Capital and wish you great success in the upcoming Holy War, ensuring the safety of our Holy Kingdom’s citizens.”

“Praise the Goddess… Now, Saintess, Miss Xī, I still need to report back, so I won’t disturb you any longer.”

After three bows, Ian finally lifted the curtain and turned to leave.

Long after, as his departing footsteps faded, while pondering his earlier actions and curiously inspecting the item given to her by him, Vilyric heard the Saintess’ voice, tinged with a hint of mirth.

“Quite unexpected, I didn’t think the Holy Court valued Miss Xī this much to directly hand over this item to you. It seems the Lambert Family is also aware of the seriousness of the situation; this is… leaving a way back for themselves.”

“A way back?”

Holding the metal badge, thin as a coin, adorned with a pattern of a girl holding a scepter bathed in light on one side and strange ring-like designs on the other, Miss White Fox looked up in surprise toward the equally inspecting Saintess.

“Is this thing very important? But all in all, Yuna, you weren’t really shocked, were you? Just now during the negotiations, although it initially felt so tense, you let go so easily, I guess you already knew the Lambert Family would end up doing something like this?”

The blonde girl smiled and nodded.

“Otherwise, if I were in their position, I wouldn’t just casually let the army of a competitor run around in my own city, right? While everyone shares a united front on the issue of demons, we as leaders of our respective families must also consider various factors that might arise after the war. If Auguste hadn’t been pulling these small tricks, I would really feel strange.”

Since the topic was brought up, Yuna seemed to decide to clarify things.

“To be honest, I don’t care much whether the army enters the city or not, or whether there’s a parade or not. Ian’s reasons seemed like they were looking for a fight, but in reality, they can’t deny the potential for such situations to occur, just like how we never anticipated the construction of something like ‘The Blood of the Reverse Cross’ on Mount Saint Belgen.”

“With the Holy War about to start, if something goes awry, it benefits neither side, right? It’s better to compromise for the time being and strive for more benefits elsewhere; of course, pressure must still be applied.”

“Moreover, can reputation really be gained just by having a large army march around shouting a few slogans? No matter how fancy our outer display is, if we fail on the actual battlefield, it will only lead to more negative outcomes.”

At this point, the Saintess once again displayed a gentle smile, delivering her closing statement.

“The key is still to deliver tangible results on the issue of ‘demons,’ just like three hundred years ago.”

“Why does it always feel like everything is part of your plan…”

Not continuing to probe further, Vilyric simply waved the magnificent badge she received from Ian in front of the Saintess, asking without concern.

“So what exactly is this? What does the ring on the back represent?”

“Of course, it’s a good thing ~.”

After a moment of thought, the blonde girl didn’t answer right away but countered with a question.

“Do you know how we select our three Saintesses in the Holy Kingdom?”

“…Hey, don’t answer a question with a question!”

“Ha ha ~ the answer is quite simple.”

Saying this, the Saintess gently rested her finger on the six-winged Holy Emblem in the center of her ample chest valley, the light flickered, and a golden badge, almost identical to the one in Vilyric’s hand, materialized in her grasp.

To help Miss White Fox see clearly, she turned her wrist, displaying both sides before Vilyric’s eyes.

The front of Yuna’s badge was identical to the one Miss Priestess held—an image of a girl bathed in light—while the back was distinctly different.

It was a dazzling and splendid crown.

At that moment, the subtle glow emanating from the Saintess’s head, a crown mimicking the “Crown of Uncrowned,” was almost indistinguishable from the one on the badge.

   

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