"Your Majesty, you must beware of the Duke of Prell, he has a big problem. lā ．”

On the top floor of the royal palace called "Shield Fortress" in the Kingdom of Valentine, a middle-aged man with a thin face and facial features like iron said to Theresia.

Theresia, who was reviewing the documents, didn't raise her head, and replied with a long and rising tone.

The middle-aged man said: "I also understand that in the eyes of others, as a lost sinner who has just found his true faith, but attacking his colleagues, it is obviously slandering. But my loyalty to my Lord and His Majesty makes it impossible for me to remain silent. ”

Theresia wrote: "Bryton, you can give up your position as bishop of the Divine Court of Loyalty, and abandon the darkness and turn to the light at the threat of the Divine Court using the Divine Court's punishment to deal with you, and even hint at the dark inside story of Ika, which is enough to prove your loyalty." ”

"I'm ashamed," sighed Brinto, Bishop Valentine, who was once a loyal god and now the Queen's personal adviser, "and I can't say a word about the inside story. ”

"That's enough for me to guess what Oka is. Eventually, we will overthrow the dark reign of Ika and set you free", Theresia put down her pen and said with a faint smile, "So, I believe that your words are for the sake of Kem's faith and for the benefit of the Order Alliance, so say it." ”

Brinto bowed gratefully, and then said solemnly, "Lady Crimson has a holy knight, and this alone should cause us to be vigilant. ”

"Your Majesty, you should know that justice has a noble personality in the faith, and whoever has justice means that there is an attempt to create some kind of order. The reason why the god of justice, Dragon, will split, according to the secret report submitted by the Fragrance Seminary, is because Longrd is trying to pursue eternal justice through the law, which is encroaching on the root of our Lord's belief in order, so ......"

"The paladins under my lord are essentially holy warriors, and this is the embodiment of the power of my lord who can dominate the mortal order. Now that a holy warrior has converted to Lady Crimson, it means that Lady Crimson has also begun to get involved in justice, which has created a conflict with the order of our lord. ”

Theresia was stunned and said with emotion: "Brinto, no one has been able to advise me on a doctrinal and theological level until you arrive, which makes me miss Bishop Rune, but it is a pity that he ...... All in all, I'm very pleased. ”

"As for the paladin you mentioned, I knew about it a long time ago, but I don't think it's that serious. When I was studying the "History of Theology" at Aroma, I saw some clues in the materials. Later, Bishop Rune also told me that the paladin was not the first to be created by Longer, and that in the Dark Ages, many good gods had paladins, and justice was not unique to any god, but was just a force that naturally arose after putting faith at the height of judgment and judgment. ”

"I admire your majesty's learning," said Brynto, "but it was the Dark Ages, and the present order is the property of our lord and is unique." The order of our lord is the supreme justice, and the other good gods touch the righteousness, which is an encroachment on our lord. ”

Theresia shook her head: "Brinto, the reason why I didn't appoint you to any position in the Order Alliance is that I hope you can correct the misconception of the Church of Fragrance. Kem is with me, and what I ask is my heart. My heart tells me that the order we need is a return to simplicity. ”

She got up and left her desk, pacing slowly, "What does simplicity mean? is peace, tolerance, and ease, not oppressing everyone with one faith, which means that there must be a strong church to achieve such a goal, isn't that what it is now?"

"By removing the incense and the church, people will only need to rely on the temples around them and the priests of the neighbors who will volunteer to face God, and the world will return to simplicity. At that time, the world will be very exciting, and there will be many kinds of faiths. But without the church, God's will would not be distorted, would not directly interfere with the lives of mortals, and the people would live and work in peace and contentment. ”

"Brinto, you should have seen it when you were still in the Divine Court, where the Divine Court has no influence, or little influence, the beliefs of the people are different. Arlanis believes in Gondos and Dragon, Sachidon believes in the goddess of commerce and the god of the sea, and Redstone believes in the god of dragons, the god of the wasteland, and the gods of the fallen race. Wouldn't their lives be good if it weren't for the oppression of the Divine Court?"

"It's the same with Lady Crimson, Richie...... Duke Prell is working hard to develop the Godfall Plateau, and even if a new kingdom is established in the future, it will be no different from the previous Elanis. ”

"The new order that Cam is looking for is a world where everyone lives their own lives, worships their own gods, but is at peace with each other. ”

Brinto stared at Theresia as if he were looking at a beautiful and sacred picture that would never exist in reality.

After a long time, he sighed in a low voice, "But the vow made by the Duke of Prell when he called the holy knights included such a creed as the overthrow of all oppression. This means that he, or Mrs. Crimson, does not approve of such an order. ”

"Yes", Theresia smiled wryly, "to overthrow all oppression and free all slaves, he and his goddess have long expressed such faith, and I am not surprised by this. ”

She looked out the window, her eyes a little confused: "The noble and the low, the big and the small, the strong and the weak, everything has a hierarchical order that must be followed. I...... The simplicity that Kem seeks is based on this. Lady Crimson's faith does have a tendency to undermine this foundation, because it is too pure, or rather naïve, to attract the Paladins to convert and act as a force to judge and judge everything. ”

"But how is this different from Alanis, Sachton, and Redstone? Clear skies, wind, rain, thunder and lightning are all in the sky. There are plains, depressions, and mountains, and the earth is complete. As long as it is not a kind of weather, a kind of terrain, even if it is a little hazard, it is a necessary part of the world. ”

"I finally understand why my lord is with your majesty," Brynto sighed deeply, but he did not give up his advice: "In that case, your majesty should treat Duke Prell as he did with Elanis." He is required to fulfill his obligations as a member of the Order Alliance, instead of being outside the alliance and burying his head in the development of his own power. ”

Theresia's face was slightly gloomy: "Li Qi is my vassal and not an ally, and the exploration of the Godfall Plateau is the right I have granted him. It is extremely difficult to open up a career, and it is very good that he can become a veritable duke in ten years, not to mention the sinister place of the Divine Fall Plateau. ”

"As for the obligations you mentioned, he has contributed enough. With three more legions to support Sylvie, we were able to encircle Valentine because he provided a large number of magic cannons that didn't require a mage. Of course, Brinto's abandonment of darkness and light has also helped us immensely. ”

Brinto bowed again, indicating that he did not dare to do it, and he said persistently: "But he did not send a single soldier to participate in the battle, and in the case of our tight forces, whether it is a vassal or an ally, he has not fulfilled his due duty." ”

"Richie's situation is peculiar......"

Theresia was a little impatient: "And he ...... me Contributions to the Alliance of Order are far greater than you realize. I don't know who you're influenced by, just staring at him. Speaking of obligation, my allies are disappointing me more and more. ”

Hearing the queen's motives for beginning to suspect the admonition, Brinto did not dare to continue: "It seems that I still know too little about the Duke of Prell, I have lost my words, please forgive your majesty." ”

He changed the subject and said: "As for the allies, because of the prolonged war, they have indeed encountered great problems, and many countries have begun to forcibly recruit professionals. ”

"Really?"

Theresia sneered: "Then I don't understand, why do the royal families of these countries use the name of the Reserve Officer Academy, the Magic Squire Academy, and even the Adventurer's Guild to train new professionals, and they still have a large number of elite professionals in their hands, but they forcibly recruit those professionals who are uneven and even indiscriminate and overly filled outside?"

Without waiting for Brynto to answer, she shook her head and sighed: "To say that Richie is harmful, it is not his actions and beliefs, but his words. The things he said at the League meeting last year, the king and the grand dukes actually did it behind their backs. ”

"Some countries, such as the Duchy of Norton, have openly cooperated with the Mage Federation to establish the Royal Mage Academy without going through me and discussing it with the Order Alliance, and their selfishness is really so inflated that the Kem Holy Light can't suppress it. ”

Brinto whispered: "Your Majesty, do you know the reason......"

"Of course I know, that's why I'm having a headache!"

Theresia's temper came up: "We are fighting on two fronts, and we still need twenty ...... No, it would take thirty legions to take Valentine Cathedral! If the next goal is to take Okato, we need a hundred legions! The kings and archdukes are beginning to fear the cost of war! They are becoming timid and stagnant!"

"Yes, the order I seek is for everyone to live their own lives, because everyone is selfish, which is in contradiction with the needs of this war. But how could such an order be established without victory? Don't the kings and the grand dukes understand? If the alliance of order fails, will the wealth and resources they hold tightly in their hands be kept?"

Brinto also sighed and said: "The king and the grand duke understand this truth, but everyone looks at others and cares about how much others give, so naturally no one is willing to give everything." And the king and the grand duke did face a problem, they could only gather power from the nobles below, and the nobles were in the same situation with each other. ”

Theresia smiled sarcastically: "Layer by layer, there won't be much left in my hands, right?" ”

"If Your Majesty insists on not integrating the Kem Church and relying on the Church to organize its forces, there needs to be a practical solution to this problem, not ......"

Brinto said sincerely: "Only by the inspiration of His Majesty. ”

Sending Brynto away, Theresia went to the window and looked out into the distance.

Where the sky meets the sea, the outline of a towering mountain can be seen: Valentine Cathedral.

This nominal cathedral is in fact the largest fortress complex in East Fein. Its predecessor can be traced back to the military fortress built by the Magic Empire in the First Age, and in the following eras, it served as the eastern gateway to the continent against the invasion of Benoin's forces.

By the time of the Tudot Empire, the fortress of Valentine had become a bridgehead for the Empire's invasion of Benunin. After the collapse of the Benoin and the collapse of the empire, it became the center of the Loyal God Court in East Fein.

In the general understanding, the name "Valentine" has always been equated with "Valentine Cathedral". As for the Valentine Kingdom, it was just that Everincense did not want this eastern stronghold to develop and become another Aroma, so she stripped off most of the population and land and supported a kingdom.

The shield fort of the royal palace where Teresia was located, both in name and substance, was the outer barrier of the fortress group more than a hundred kilometers away.

Now Theresia's army is stuck at this barrier, confronted not only by the army of the Kingdom of Valentine, but also by the forces of the three kingdoms of Gawain, Reem, and Candas in the north. Coupled with the Valentine Cathedral's Divine Court troops, a total of sixty or seventy legions, close to the army of 100,000 professionals, the strength is stronger than that of Theresia.

If it weren't for the Aurora Star's certification of the Oath of the Broken Tower, and the rebellion of Bishop Brinto, who was originally in charge of the affairs of Valentine Cathedral, which made it difficult for the other party to take the initiative to attack, Theresia's situation would be much more difficult than it is now.

The current situation is not much better, if Sylvie does not defeat the orc army as soon as possible and stabilize the situation in the west, she will have to switch from attack to defense. At that time, who knows how the situation will change.

"Practical ......"

Theresia frowned in thought, annoyed by the overstretched force.

Brinto's previous words flashed through her mind, and she suddenly felt that Li Qi could actually help her more than the magic cannon. His development in the Divine Fall Plateau was smooth, and even the Holy Warrior had it, even if it was just to support a brigade, or even just a Holy Maiden, he would feel relieved. Don had told her that the army that Litch now had was probably close to two legions, and that there were several saints in his church.

"No, I promised him ......"

As soon as the thought of sending him a letter of appointment arose, she suppressed it. Although the letter of appointment did not specify whether he would recruit his army and church personnel, and although as a vassal, Li Qi also had an obligation to dedicate to her, but she felt that she had a tacit understanding with Li Qi, and she would not cross that line.

"Nor can we continue to rely on him......"

The idea of asking him again was dispelled, the difficulty was only temporary, Kem was with him, how could he be blocked by such a small threshold.

"The purpose of bringing in another force was to solve the problem that we have now. ”

She finally remembered some other people, the power of these people can be used, yes, just used, not relied on.

Theresia stepped into another room behind the study and opened the Book of Trade Winds.

A moment later, an elegant beauty with black hair and silver eyes appeared.

The legendary sorceress smiled, "Your Majesty, Hathaway is at your disposal. ”

The conversation lasted for a long time, and when Hathaway spoke of the "Council of Nobles", Theresia seemed very unhappy, and the two argued for a while, and Hathaway reluctantly gave up.

Elanis, just below the meadows, is a magic tower towering into the sky.

In the communication room at the top of the tower, Theresia's avatar vanished, and Hathaway rubbed her forehead and moaned.

"What a naïve and stubborn queen......"

She muttered, and then smiled bitterly: "It's very cunning again, this is forcing us to leave." But the situation in the Storm Islands is still a mess, and there's nothing we can do about it. ”

After thinking for a while, she said helplessly: "It seems that I still have to discuss with Prell, he knows Teresia best and knows how to follow her hair." ”