Amidst a beautiful sea of flowers, the Saintesses were gathered. Each one possessed top-tier beauty and temperament.
If Fina Nisi, the protagonist of that H-game, were to see this, she would likely lose her mind. Fortunately, that fellow had been sent away to the Elves and would not be back for a while.
Aililan secretly vowed, ‘I must protect them.’
The Saintesses chatted casually about everyday things.
Isiphlan, one of the Seven Regents, watched this scene with a smile. It was as if she were looking at her own daughters, her eyes filled with maternal light.
“It is wonderful,” she said. “That your generation could gather like this.”
She sighed softly before continuing, “Unlike our generation, which faced a shortage of talent. One Saintess would fall in battle before the next could even be chosen.”
A shortage of Saintesses was actually the norm for the Church. It was hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for only one or two Saintesses to hold things together during the Church’s expansion or various crises.
It was nothing like the present, where all seven Saintesses were gathered. There was a Saintess stationed in every wing region, and they could even afford to keep one or two at the Holy Land to manage overall affairs.
Perhaps people always spoiled the youngest the most. Isiphlan beckoned Aililan with her only remaining hand.
Aililan immediately approached obediently and said sweetly, “Greetings, Lady Regent.”
Isiphlan reached out to stroke her head, saying dotingly, “Why call me Regent? Call me Sister.”
The other Saintesses chimed in together, “Wow, how biased!”
Aililan felt a bit embarrassed and whispered, “Sis… Sister Isiphlan.”
Isiphlan laughed even more happily. She then gave instructions to the other Saintesses.
The Saint of Generosity, Melissa, soon had food brought over and spread a floral cloth on the ground. The group started a picnic right there in the sea of flowers.
Isiphlan gave the Saint of Temperance several extra pastries and said with a smile, “Eat up. I remember you were the greediest when you were little. Although the Virtue of Temperance emphasizes the harmony of words and deeds, it does not mean you aren’t allowed to eat.”
“However, you should watch your figure. You look so lovely now; don’t end up chubby like you were as a child.”
The Saint of Temperance, Lizberu, immediately turned red and stammered in defense, “That… that’s not true!”
The Saint of Diligence burst into laughter. “Hahahaha!”
Isiphlan said with a chuckle, “Diligence, what are you laughing at? Don’t forget how lazy you used to be. You wouldn’t wash your hair for weeks until lice started growing on your head. The previous Saint of Diligence was so angry she found a monkey specifically to catch the lice for you.”
Diligence’s smile froze instantly. Isiphlan feigned confusion. “Why did you stop laughing? Is it not funny?”
She then looked toward the Saint of Gentleness. “And then there’s Gentleness. You had such a wild streak as a child. Your little fists fought from the east side of the Holy Land to the west without even blinking.”
The Saint of Gentleness, Liweiya, covered her face in shame, muttering softly, “Stop… please stop… I never did anything like that…”
If anyone else had brought up these dark histories, the Saintesses would have certainly met them with iron fists. But since the one speaking was Isiphlan, one of the Seven Regents, they could only endure it.
Soon, everyone’s gaze fell upon Aililan.
Aililan tensed up instantly and said with a dry laugh, “Why are you looking at me? I don’t have any dark history.”
*Pfft—*
Isiphlan covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, saying pointedly, “Yes, yes, the Saint of Chastity must naturally keep herself pure. However, your predecessors for this Virtue were all quite ‘kind-hearted’ people. I remember one generation’s Saint of Chastity managed to ‘taste’ every single Saintess in the Church.”
Isiphlan gave her a meaningful look. “So, you wouldn’t do something like that, right?”
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Aililan’s forehead. She quickly patted her chest and promised, “Of course not! I, Aililan, and home-wrecking cats are irreconcilable!”
The moment the words left her mouth, the air went silent. Several Saintesses looked at her simultaneously. Only then did Aililan realize—had she spoken a bit too loudly?
The greatest enemy of Chastity was already Lust. If she really messed up in the future… that would truly become a dark history.
Seeing that the joking had gone far enough, Isiphlan brought the conversation back to serious business.
“The Church’s overall situation is currently stable. It is just that there are some disputes between the territories of Tolerance and Humility, though it is not a major issue. A reunified Empire does not serve our interests.”
She looked at the Saint of Tolerance, Grace.
“Tolerance, you can send invitations to the powers surrounding the Kingdom of Kathy. Have them join in a crusade against the Kingdom of Kathy and then divide its territory.”
The Saint of Tolerance was somewhat confused. “Why should we let them divide it instead of taking it for ourselves?”
Isiphlan shook her head. “Expanding too quickly is not necessarily a good thing. Furthermore, we have more pressing issues to handle. Instead of wasting energy on the Kingdom of Kathy, it is better to create conflict and let them bleed each other dry.”
Then, she looked at the Saint of Humility, Nidria.
“Maritime power is very important. However, the Church is not a maritime nation, nor do we have the capacity for large-scale maritime expansion. Therefore, our strategy is not to fight for maritime supremacy.”
The Saint of Humility pondered for a moment. “Do you mean we should not strive to be number one?”
Isiphlan shook her head slightly. “Neither first nor second. We will be third. We only need to control a few key maritime trade routes; that will be enough.”
With just a few sentences, Isiphlan set the direction for the current situation. Though it lacked a bit of aggressive ambition, it was undoubtedly the most stable strategy. For a power as massive as the Church—stability was the most important thing.
They then discussed internal Church matters, such as the propagation of the Doctrine and anti-corruption issues. These were mostly recurring topics. During this time, several appointments were made, and some Archbishops stationed abroad were recalled for questioning.
Some rose through the ranks as a result, while others fell from grace. Even an Archbishop at the level of a regional governor was severely punished.
After a long time, Isiphlan finally looked at Aililan again. She took a deep breath.
“Your matter is the most troublesome and serious, so I saved it for last.”
Aililan immediately sat up straight. “Please give me your instructions.”
Isiphlan waved her hand and smiled. “They are not quite instructions. You have already done very well in Atester. Looking back at the Saintesses of past generations, very few possessed your level of courage. But there is indeed a problem.”
Aililan was taken aback. “What problem?”
Isiphlan spoke slowly, “I know the great task you wish to accomplish. But facing the threat of the Orcs is not the concern of a single city like Atester. It is a matter for the entire Fifth Wing Region.”
Aililan could not help but want to scratch her head. She suddenly had a strong premonition—the previously stable and conservative Regent was likely preparing to give her even greater power.
It was just that the chessboard in Atester had only just been laid out. If her power expanded too much all at once, a single mistake could lead to a total collapse.