“...... What do you say?"

Moira tore off the black veil hanging from her cheeks, and in her astonishment, she quickly forgot about her reserve and etiquette as usual, and recklessly asked loudly, with a look of grievance and incomprehension, like a girl who invited a friend to a tea party, but was rudely refused.

The muscles on Scott's face stiffened for a moment, and he reluctantly repeated:

"I said 'no', Your Majesty, I can't do it for Frederick...... Coronation of the new king. ”

"But I managed to get Frederick to agree!" Moira burst out, immediately covering her mouth and lowering her gaze to the ground in some embarrassment.

Scott smiled wryly, feeling a faint pain in his stomach.

"Thank you for your trust and hospitality. He deliberately slowed his voice to keep himself calm and patient, "But I want to know, is this your own idea?"

Moira hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"My brother and uncle all said......" her voice lowered a little.

Her father disagreed...... But it didn't stop her.

"I understand why they would suggest that. Scott calmly finished speaking on her behalf, "'The crowning of a saint will make the power of the new king more secure, and the country more stable' - as if the crown had been put on Frederick's head by a god, and no one could take it off...... Is that so?"

“...... Isn't that so?" Moira asked in confusion, her bright eyes darkening, "They all say that Ante ended up like this because he angered the gods......"

One of the last things a king who claimed to have been "chosen by God" was to attack the sages and holy places of the god of water. Before he died, he had lost his mind, was ridiculed and spurned by others, and his death was miserable and strange. Even the body was nowhere to be found after death......

Sko was silent for a long time before he spoke softly.

"Sometimes I feel like maybe it's my fault. He said.

Moira looked at him in amazement, realizing that the Sage, who had once looked much younger than his actual age, looked tired, haggard, with deep-set eye sockets and clearly visible wrinkles on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes. It's like you're aging at a breakneck pace.

"More than a decade ago, I willfully ignored a friend's warning and persuaded Sean to come here with the paladins of the water god to help Ante sit on the throne. I thought I was right - to end the war quickly and restore calm to the country...... But in the name of the gods. It would be unwise to involve the power of the gods in the war of mankind. Scott's eyes drooped, and his growing blonde hair cast a shadow on his face.

"Aside from what he did to me...... Ante had to give the Water Temple too much respectful power. It is dangerous for any power to be too strong, and the clergy are human after all, even if with good intentions. Power can also make them lose control. Unwittingly put yourself above the king...... For any king, that would be intolerable. His voice was deep and clear, and word by word was engraved on Moira's heart.

"Ante may have been manipulated, but I gave the enemy a chance to take advantage of it. Now the Sage ...... Felicity is gone, the Temple of Collins has vanished into the mist, nearly half of the priesthood of the god of water have died or disappeared, and Ante's body is still in Lydia's hands, and I have no idea what else she has up her sleeve. And Sean ...... My uncle was lying in a room not far from here, like a breathing corpse—wasn't my arrogance the cause of all this?"

He sighed with deep remorse.

Moira listened in amazement. But subconsciously wanted to defend him.

"But Felicity didn't stop you. Her wide blue eyes looked unusually pure, "If you're wrong, the Sage will stop you, won't you?"

Scott looked at him, a bitter smile on his lips.

"Yes, she never stopped me...... Shaun was not stopped either. "Now that I think about it, she never stopped us from doing anything...... She left it to us to make our own choices and watched as it happened. If something really happens, she'll stop it, but this time...... Maybe that's what a Sage really does, protecting but not trying to manipulate the world...... But what do I know? She's gone, and my presumptuous speculation may be nothing more than blasphemy against her...... And even she did not promise to crown Ante. ”

Moira bit her lip.

Felicity never even appeared at Ante's coronation. It's just that the cheers of the priests and paladins who were almost all present made it easy for people to ignore this, and instead admired the humility and peace of the saint even more.

The queen vaguely understood what Scott meant, but she was still unwilling to give up her efforts. The fog still hung over the plains of Collins, and she felt that the god of water would probably never forgive Ante for his betrayal again. Now, she desperately needed another god to prove that the royal power of House Boford was still recognized and protected, otherwise the shadow left by Ante would always hang over Frederick's head.

Before she could find a stronger reason to convince Scott, Scott sighed slightly.

"Moira. He called the queen by her first name, "Who do you think is ruling this country......?" Or any god?"

Moira looked at him blankly, not knowing what to answer.

"People...... With the blessing of the gods?" She hesitated for a moment before she spoke.

Scott's eyes showed a bit of helplessness: "Every king can prove that he is blessed by the gods in various ways, but in the end, it is his own actions that determine the reputation of a king to remain in people's memories - you come to find a solid enough support for Frederick, I can understand, but it is he who can be relied on in the end, not me...... He was already eleven years old, and let him understand this as soon as possible, instead of letting him become another Ante with resentment and reluctance...... Maybe better. ”

Moira breathed for a moment, her face pale.

"If you need some kind of proof, I'd love to stand at the foot of the steps and pray for the new king - but I won't be the one to crown him, and I can't be. Scott calmly told her, "Let him be under the protection of the gods...... Wouldn't it be better to learn how to be king than under the special care of a god?---you can bring my words back to your brothers and uncles, and perhaps they will change their minds. ”

Moira was silent for a long time, then finally shook her head.

Her father always said she had to make her own decisions...... But she was always unconsciously afraid of the consequences of making decisions alone.

But she is the queen...... Soon she will become the Queen Mother. Until Frederick is mature enough, every choice she makes, her word and deed, is likely to determine what kind of king her son will become.

"No, I don't have to. She straightened up, but bowed her head slightly in humility, "Sage...... and Scott Christus, I invite you to the coronation of Frederick Bofford, King of Rutgar...... Ceremony. ”

“...... I accept your invitation. Scott bowed back, "It's an honor." ”

Moira breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of relief.

"Allow me to send you out. Scott smiled and got up. It's obviously a lot easier.

Usually Moira would refuse such politeness - in fact, Scott's presence always made her feel both relieved and nervous, for her own heart...... and for the sake of Frederick, who seemed to be caught up in some undue suspicion, she had better stay away from Scott.

But at the moment, Scott's smile was too sincere to refuse...... And what is she trying to do?

None of them said anything along the way. Such silence always makes Moira uneasy, but this time she was in a calm mood...... Until they appear in the sight of the believers.

The temple of Nesses was always overcrowded, and even the square was filled with believers from afar. Usually they don't pay much attention to the queen of high status - here they are equal above the temple of the god Nesses.

So, after a moment of commotion, when everyone leaned down towards them, Moira knew full well that they were not worshipping her, but the Holy One around her.

She looked at Scott quickly, and there was a subtle feeling in her heart...... Certainly not jealousy, not even reverence...... It's more like sympathy.

Judging by Scott's slightly blue face and tight jaw, he didn't like the scene in front of him at all...... Like she didn't like the weight she had to carry on her shoulders at all.

So she could understand why, since the plague in Stonebug City was lifted, Scott had almost never been in front of people...... The invisible pressure is almost suffocating.

"Just send it here, Sage. She whispered, bending her knee to him, "The invitation will be sent later...... Also, you and your friends can enter and leave the Black Tower at any time and no longer need my permission. ”

She doesn't know why Scott and his friends are suddenly so interested in the Triple Tower, but she believes him.

Scott nodded to her gratefully, took a step back, and bowed in hand.

Tempted to turn around and disappear immediately, Scott endured as Moira's back disappeared under the steps of the temple.

It was he himself who asked to see her off, and he had to be polite.

From time to time, the innocent and effeminate queen surprised him, and made him forget for a moment how much he hated the figures who knelt down to him with great reverence...... He was not at all as great as they imagined.

He quickly turned, his eyes swept over the kneeling crowd, and a woman was looking up, a smile on her beautiful, pale face.

Scott froze in his footsteps.

(To be continued......)