Aililan was furious.
‘Who do they think I am?’
“Queen Terili, please show some self-respect.”
She could already sense the shifting winds within the Elves—the high-ranking officials were deliberately manipulating public opinion, while the Princess was being completely swept up in it.
Terili spoke with a bitter smile, “No, you don’t understand. I can feel the changes within the tribe more and more… and my daughter has been blinded; her heart is full of responsibility and mission. If one day the Elders asked her to sacrifice herself for you, she wouldn’t hesitate.”
Aililan frowned. “What kind of queen are you?”
Terili sighed. “Is it laughable? There are many factions within the Pureblood Elves; what can I do?”
Aililan said coldly, “Every inch of our Church’s land is no smaller than a kingdom. Do you think these territories were gifts from others? They were conquered.”
“The royal families and powers of at least seven kingdoms were completely purged.”
“You simply lack the courage to flip the table.”
Terili remained silent for a long time.
She had to admit—Aililan was right. She truly did not have that kind of decisive courage.
Aililan stood up, her tone growing even more frigid. “You’ve disappointed me deeply. What kind of person do you take me for? I’m telling you, I won’t give the Elves even a single copper’s worth of concessions.”
Terili shook her head. “I know. It wasn’t for those matters this time… it was for my daughter.”
“If you’re so afraid, then just call her back.”
“You don’t understand!” Terili’s emotions spiraled out of control. “The Elders, the people… she won’t listen to me anymore!”
“This is unreasonable.”
“Saint Aililan…”
“Pick up your clothes.”
“I said, pick up your clothes.”
Aililan felt that the Queen was losing her grip on reality.
She wasn’t the type of person to be blinded by lust. As for energy… the Diligence Saintess came to spend every night with her; where would she find the extra strength? Even if she had the heart for it, her body was exhausted.
She turned and left immediately.
Outside the door, Princess Eleanorice, who had been waiting, saw her and immediately stepped forward.
“Saint Aililan!”
As she grew to know her better, Eleanorice’s admiration for Aililan deepened.
One year ago, Atester was still mired in poverty.
But this Saintess had not only quickly seized power, she had also gone deep into the grassroots level, showing benevolence and developing the economy, allowing the people to live better lives.
Supporting the War Pigs and the Jackal Tribe to build a buffer zone was a stroke of genius.
In Eleanorice’s eyes, every decision she made was a model worth learning from.
In comparison, Fina Nisi, who spent all day revolving around matters of love, was simply not worth mentioning.
“Saintess, may I stay by your side to learn tomorrow?”
“Suit yourself.”
“Thank you!”
“I’m fine. Go inside and check on your mother first, then see her back.”
“All right.”
Aililan left first. The powerful guards hidden in the shadows followed her and vanished.
Eleanorice walked into the room.
Everything seemed normal. Terili had regained her dignified posture, though her expression remained somewhat heavy.
“Mother?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t need to worry. I will study hard under Saint Aililan and will surely lead the Elves to prosperity in the future.”
Terili spoke softly, “Mm… she is indeed… a good person.”
At least, under those circumstances just now, she had not taken advantage of her. Thinking of this, Terili actually felt a bit of regret. Her actions earlier had been far too impulsive.
That was the Saint of Chastity; she was completely indifferent to beauty.
Looking at her daughter again, her heart felt even more conflicted and uneasy.
“Mother, I feel like something is wrong with you. Is it because of tribe matters?”
“Eleanorice, do you think this negotiation can be successful?”
“I… I don’t know.” After some thought, Eleanorice said, “But I believe that on Saint Aililan’s side, there is no necessity for her to compromise with us.”
“And your reasoning?”
“Because behind Atester is the entire Fifth Wing—and behind the Fifth Wing is the entire Church.”
She paused, her tone becoming serious. “Mother, do you think the Church would fight for that Saintess?”
“…How great is the possibility?”
“It’s not a possibility. It is a certainty.”
Eleanorice sighed softly. “During this time, I’ve learned a lot and understood what is happening within the Church. A war is breaking out in the Seventh Wing, with two wings involved and a total force of over 200,000. It will be settled within six months. Another wing can even spare the power to participate in the Third Wing’s Maritime Hegemony.”
“At the same time, the Fifth Wing is also preparing for war. Not only are they guarding against the Orcs moving south, but they are even… even preparing to move north.”
Terili shuddered. “North?”
“Yes. Mother, this means the Church has the ability to start wars on multiple fronts simultaneously. Furthermore, they haven’t even used their strongest force yet—the Holy War Expeditionary Force. The initiative has never been in our hands. It has always been in theirs.”
Terili was stunned. She suddenly realized that the Fifth Wing, which they had always viewed as their opponent, was merely one of the seven wings of the Church. And beyond the seven wings, there were countless United Kingdoms responding to the Church’s call.
The Church’s foundation could even be compared to those ancient empires. It only appeared more loosely organized.
The ones who could truly compete with the Church were never the Elves, nor the Orcs. As for the Demons—they were an existence on an entirely different level.
“Mother,” Eleanorice said softly, “when I was a child, the Church had just conquered the Fifth Wing and driven the Orcs into the Great Plain. But now… they already have the capability to launch a war of extermination against the Orcs.”
Terili gave a bitter smile. “Yes… only one century has passed, yet to us Elves, it feels like yesterday.”
“Let me see you back.”
“All right…” She hesitated for a moment, then added, “If there is an opportunity… arrange another meeting for me with that Saintess. Next time, I want to… have a proper talk with her.”
“Mother, it’s wonderful that you can finally listen to me.”
“Silly child.”
Terili smiled bitterly. She didn’t even know how to tell her daughter that in the Saintess’s eyes, she had nearly become an existence that used the Princess to “set the stage” for her own ends.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.