A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 28

In that environment, it didn't seem unusual for the townspeople to have an accident. The entire Lorian Empire was currently in the rainy season, and landslides were frequent. The people below thought Brenda was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The country is in chaos right now, and even the capital is in turmoil, so what's happening in a small town is even less of a concern.

Brenda compared several documents and discovered that the incidents occurred in remote suburbs. The Church of Eris was gradually infiltrating the area around the capital, Partington. Once the capital was under control, a large number of monsters would be able to invade unimpeded.

If the great evil god Eris were to awaken from her slumber, the situation would be far beyond what Saint Karina could control on her own. The Church of the God of Order and the royal family are not of one mind; they might not offer assistance should disaster strike.

Rumors are circulating that the Church of the God of Order plans to evacuate the Lorian Empire and find a safer country to settle in. There are many countries in the world to choose from; they don't need to stay in a place of constant war, living in constant fear for their lives.

As Brenda passed by the church in her carriage, she saw many people who wanted to go in to pray or seek confession. The church doors were tightly shut, and the church knights stopped those in tattered clothes from entering, verbally abusing and rebuking them with vulgar language, and even beating them.

Brenda tried to get out of the car to stop them, but Santa Karina held her back.

"Your Majesty, don't go. You can't save everyone."

“If I don’t go… those people will continue to hurt them.”

"Believe me, they won't thank you; they'll only blame your incompetence and the country for being so devastated. They don't know how many sleepless nights you've spent worrying about them. This situation isn't your fault, but the moment you get off the bus, those people will attack you. Can you withstand their anger and malice?"

Saint Karina's words were piercing to the heart.

Brenda could imagine the scene: the victors would be the ones writing history, and she would be nothing more than a puppet with the title of emperor but no right to mobilize the army. The nobles and ministers in power would surely use her as a tool to attack, and when a country declines, people would first blame the emperor for being incompetent and foolish.

Words of resentment are incredibly powerful; even the most hardened heart cannot remain unmoved. Brenda wasn't confident she could be as calm as Saint Karina, able to withstand vicious verbal attacks without flinching.

She will definitely cry in front of those people.

It must be very embarrassing to cry in front of so many people, although she didn't have much face to lose anyway.

Saint Karina was right. Those people might not thank her; instead, they would think she was hypocritical and pretentious, caring about these people only for her own reputation and not caring about their lives at all.

"never mind……"

“Your Majesty, it’s a good thing that you’ve changed your mind. It’s those people who chose to believe in the Church of the God of Order. They betrayed their former faith, and being abandoned by the god who loved them is just karma. When they abandoned the Eternal Goddess, they never imagined this day would come. The goddess was heartbroken from then on and never appeared in the mortal world again. You don’t need to feel that this is your fault. The fault lies with these foolish people.”

"..."

The carriage drove silently past the church, and Brenda stopped looking out the window. The cries of those people faded into the distance, eventually disappearing from her ears.

People are suffering everywhere, and the country's order is on the verge of collapse. The priority now is to prevent the evil god's will, which is active on the border, from continuing to invade and spread. Everything else has to be postponed.

Brenda felt a little dizzy and her chest felt tight. She only felt slightly better after the carriage left the city and entered the countryside, as fresh air rushed in through the windows.

She had never imagined that governing a country would be so difficult, far more so than studying or learning magic. Studying and learning could yield results with effort, but governing a country was much harder, and it was all too common to invest a great deal of energy only to fail.

Brenda's cheerful mood before departure turned somber, and she stared silently out the window.

Saint Karina had no intention of comforting her. Too many words of comfort were inappropriate. If the little emperor didn't experience the cruelty of the world and suffer some setbacks and trials, she would never grow up.

People only grow through suffering.

Once the carriage had completely crossed the border of the capital, Partington, there was a stretch of waterway from which they would need to take a boat. The driver took them to a dock where a boat was already waiting.

This is a small, habitable mechanical ship, powered by an internal combustion engine. It has three levels and is not small in size, capable of accommodating more than a dozen people. Therefore, its construction is very expensive, and almost no one in the entire Lorian region has ever seen one.

The cabin has sofas and tables and chairs. Although it is not as spacious as a normal room, it is not cramped either, and one can sit relatively comfortably.

Lorian's current level of magical technology is far behind that of some countries; they still adhere to the era of cold weapons, so it's normal for them to be attacked. The ship has several crew members, all hired by Saint Karina through communication magic.

Once Brenda was settled in the cabin, Santa Karina went to the wheelhouse and told the driver that they could set sail.

Our destination this time was a small town called Kotka, located on the other side of the strait. This town is isolated, surrounded by the sea and mountains, and many of its residents have never left the town since birth, having no idea what the outside world is like.

For this reason, it has preserved many architectural styles that are hundreds of years old, and has become a popular tourist attraction in recent years.

Saint Karina's purpose in going there was certainly not for tourism; she was on a mission to investigate the leakage of the evil god's will, and anything outside of that mission was irrelevant.

It just so happens that the town is located near the underground palace where the evil god was suppressed. Tourists come and go, making it easy for the evil god's will to spread to all parts of the world.

One of the crew members brewed a pot of tea for the two men.

Saint Karina claimed to everyone that they were also tourists. When no one was around, she whispered to Brenda beside her, "From now on, you must pretend to be a tourist and not reveal your identity. If you are chosen by the evil god and become a tool for spreading his cult, this country will be destroyed in your hands."

56. Persuasion

“I understand. You’ve been nagging on and on the way here. Don’t you get tired? And… while it’s good that you’re constantly teaching me how to do things, it makes me feel like a useless piece of trash.”

Brenda hid her face in her arms and protested.

Saint Karina really wanted to say, "Yes, you really are useless," but she was worried about hurting the young emperor's pride, so she had to use a more tactful approach. Many people had previously criticized her for being too direct, which often made people feel uncomfortable.

People like to hear pleasant words, and even if honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial, they won't accept it so readily. Face is extremely important to people, especially when the other party is a young monarch.

“I am merely fulfilling my duty as a saintess, Your Majesty. Five hundred years ago, I was Your Majesty’s tutor. You are her descendant, and I should teach you according to the same standards. A gentle approach to education will only make you lazy and oblivious to the cruelty of the outside world. If you do not wish to listen, I will no longer try to persuade you.”

Saint Karina picked up her teacup, cooled the tea to a suitable temperature, and drank it all.

After saying so much, she was indeed a bit thirsty, and she wasn't sure if Brenda had fully listened. She was certain Brenda had heeded her advice after what happened on the street. Otherwise, the young emperor would have already jumped off his carriage to save those ungrateful fools.

Just now, Brenda was still worried about whether those people had been harmed by the church knights, and felt guilty for her indifferent departure—how foolish of her. In terms of awareness and methods, she was far inferior to her ancestor, Emperor Ernest VII, and still needed time to hone her skills.

Originally, she, as a fallen saintess, had no obligation to do this, but she felt uncomfortable if she didn't. After much deliberation, she decided to temporarily assume the role of the emperor's tutor and leave the country once her power was restored.

The fate of the nation of Lorian was entirely none of her concern; she could simply wash her hands of it, and no one had the right to blame her. Back then, it was precisely because she was too responsible that she was betrayed and sold to the Demon King's army by someone she trusted, thus securing a mere chance for her nation to survive.

After drinking a cup of tea, the dryness in my mouth and throat was somewhat relieved.

The two stopped arguing. Brenda always looked very tired, so Saint Karina secretly used a soothing spell on her.

That's why Brenda suddenly felt very sleepy, lay down on the sofa and dozed off, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

"I stay up all night reading and thinking, and I don't know how to relax at all. No wonder I can't figure things out. Sometimes reading a lot of books doesn't mean you have real ability. You also need to know how to apply the knowledge and strategies in the books."

Santa Karina looked at Brenda's sleeping face and murmured to herself. After she finished speaking, she covered Brenda with a blanket, closed the door, and went to the deck to keep watch for the time being.

As she set sail, she sensed an unusual aura—a peculiar trait of clergy, a keen sense for evil. The will of the great evil god Eris had already spread to this sea, rapidly increasing in intensity. If the corrupted were not found quickly, purified, and the seal on the underground palace reinforced, the evil god would break free and join forces with the demons, plunging the entire human world into chaos.

This is not just a crisis in the Lorian Empire, but a global one.

Those who participated in the sealing ceremony of Eris back then were not only the saintess of Lorian, but also divine messengers from other places. There were hundreds of powerful figures in total. Saint Karina did not know exactly who they were, because many of them sacrificed themselves in that great battle and did not even leave their names.

At the entrance to the temple in the Grangemouth Mountains, a huge stone monument was erected to commemorate the heroes who died in that great battle. But it served no purpose; now the monument is dilapidated from wind and sun, and the names on it are almost illegible.

Is it really meaningful to fight to the death for others?

Saint Karina has been thinking about this question a lot lately, and has come to the conclusion that there is no answer.

She activated her spiritual vision and discovered a dark gray smoke rising from the seabed. Ordinary people, lacking magical powers and the ability to discern such things, are easily influenced by evil spirits.

"Let's create a barrier first."

She knew that the crew members on the ship were ordinary people without any particularly outstanding magical talent. If she didn't set up a barrier, the power of the evil god would penetrate deep into their spiritual world, and then it would truly be too late to save them.

Saint Karina's current abilities are insufficient to save those who are dying, because evil gods can absorb the life force of ordinary people through mind control to build their own bodies.

Therefore, He needs to constantly lure ignorant living people to His underground palace to offer sacrifices voluntarily.

Young girls like Brenda, brimming with conviction and ambition, and overflowing with magical power, are ideal for being used as food and nourishment by evil gods. The more people like her there are, the easier it is for evil gods to regain their power.

He grows by devouring the faith and hope of these mortals and sows the seeds of disaster and fear among humankind.

A pale golden barrier enveloped the ship, and the crew members were all safe and sound. They still didn't know what had happened and were working diligently at their posts, their moods as calm as still water.

Before the ship docks, Saint Karina has some time to set up spells. Once she and Brenda leave the ship, the crew will be left unprotected. Setting up protective spells in advance will keep evil spirits away.

Although it's troublesome to do this, those people haven't done anything wrong, and there won't be any problems as long as they don't leave the ship.

She appeared to be lost in thought as she stood on the deck, but in reality, she was silently reciting incantations to ward off evil spirits, bestowing a divine buff upon the entire ship.

Just as the ship was about to dock, her arrangements were completed.

Brenda stretched and found herself asleep on the sofa, covered with a blanket.

"Ah... I was actually thinking of reading a book."

The book on the table hadn't been turned, and its contents were obviously very obscure and difficult-to-understand magical theories. Before she set off, Saint Karina had reminded her not to bring such troublesome things, because she wouldn't have much energy to read during the long journey.

Brenda now realizes that most of what Saint Karina said had merit.

Especially her words at the church entrance, so precise they sent chills down one's spine. There was once a minister who, like her, toiled tirelessly for these people, only to be framed by his enemies and hanged.

None of the people he had helped stood by his side; instead, they accused him of being heartless and asking why he couldn't give them more benefits.

Humans are such greedy creatures.

Brenda felt a chill run down her spine as she thought about these things.

57. Exploring the Ancient Town

With incredibly mixed feelings, Brenda and Santa Karina disembarked, carrying their pre-prepared travel backpacks, and prepared to enter Zimmerman town to investigate.

The town is surrounded by the towering Grangemouth Mountains, and the surrounding terrain is rugged. However, the mountains have been a natural barrier for the town for thousands of years, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. As a result, it is difficult for outsiders to climb over the mountains and invade the town.

The transportation here is very inconvenient, and there are not many entrances to the town. At the entrances, people strictly check the identities of tourists and question those entering the town. It is quite strict.

Santa Karina had made preparations in advance, obtaining two fake passports and a fake work certificate. Even if those people checked, they wouldn't be able to find anything wrong, because the fake certificates were issued by official agencies.

Since an investigation is being conducted, the role-playing must be authentic and believable; even if it's fake, it must be made to look real.

When the townspeople checking their identities asked about their professions, Santa Karina preemptively answered to prevent Brenda from making a mistake due to nervousness.

“Our young lady is here to consult with some wine merchants and discuss cooperation matters. Does the Streich family know about this? They are the largest wine merchants in all of Lorian. Their presence here will definitely bring a lot of economic benefits.”

Then, Santa Karina went on and on about all sorts of knowledge about wine.

The town has a long-standing drinking culture, and no one in the town dislikes drinking. When they heard that there were tourists who also enjoyed drinking, the townspeople immediately beamed with joy and started chatting with Santa Karina.

Brenda listened in a daze, and could only nod and answer in agreement with Saint Karina's words. As long as it was the Saintess's instruction, it couldn't be wrong.

After discussing drinking, Santa Karina even offered the other person a bottle of wine, successfully allaying their suspicions.

It's simple to bridge the gap between people: just cater to their interests, downplay your own purpose, and let them feel that you are considering their needs through progressively engaging conversations. This will greatly increase the success rate of getting things done.

Saint Karina has truly mastered how to deal with these people. Even with those she dislikes, she can maintain a completely expressionless face, showing no sign of disgust.

Brenda was completely unable to keep her anger hidden; any emotion in her heart would immediately show on her face, and she could not hide her feelings at all.

She also wanted to learn from Santa Karina how to achieve the perfect "poker face".

"You...you're amazing!"

“Is this amazing?”

“That person was very rude at first and reluctant to let us in. I really wanted to tell him if he knew who he was talking to. I almost couldn’t help but warn him several times. I only refrained from scolding him because of you. It’s amazing that you could talk to such a rude guy for so long. I couldn’t do that.”

"While it's not entirely your fault, and the other party also made mistakes, Your Majesty, you really need to learn how to communicate with different people. You can learn a lot from communicating with people from all walks of life. Your social circle shouldn't be limited to those arrogant and short-sighted nobles. You should get to know more people from other classes."

"I understand... Also, could you please use a gentler tone when you're lecturing me?"

"Okay, next time you want it in bed, I'll be a little gentler."

Santa Karina carefully put away the fake documents and led Brenda into the town. Zimmerman looked quite ordinary, not much different from other towns, except that the townspeople dressed rather outdatedly, still maintaining the style of the last century, and the things sold in the shops were all locally produced goods that were not available on the market. Otherwise, it was pretty much the same.

The area attracts many tourists because of the vast ancient ruins and tombs discovered nearby, as well as its beautiful natural scenery, making it a highly valuable tourist destination. For those tired of the unchanging landscapes of the city, a visit to this rural town offers a refreshing change.

The town also has many interesting entertainment venues, such as casinos and brothels. Santa Karina had been to the brothels before, and the women there were far less attractive and provided far better service than those in the city. Occasionally, there were some pretty women who stood out among the many rural girls, creating a unique and unconventional scene.

I'm not in the mood to visit those kinds of places right now. I don't want to think about anything unserious until I've finished my business.

They first went to the hotel and asked for a double room, quickly settled their luggage, took the valuables with them, and left behind clothes, books, and other less valuable items, then went to stroll around the town. The town was bustling in the afternoon, and the two of them, tired from their journey, were now very hungry.

After browsing through a pile of restaurants for a long time, Santa Karina chose one that her intuition told her was worth the trip.

The restaurant was doing good business. The owner was a young woman about Brenda's age, and the restaurant only employed three staff members, plus the kitchen staff, making a total of four or five people. With the business booming, paying their salaries shouldn't be a problem.

Saint Karina sensed a faint aura of an evil god emanating from her boss.

She was corrupted by the will of an evil god, but the corruption was mild. She could be purified using her own divine power in less than an hour, provided she had physical contact with the other party. Purification with magic was far too inefficient, not nearly as fast as physical union.

"Let's choose this store."

Before Brenda could offer her opinion, Saint Karina stepped into the store.

Brenda now dared not maintain any imperial airs, behaving with extreme caution, lest she be attacked by these ignorant masses. Saint Karina was quite pleased with her current demeanor; an incognito visit should be conducted incognito, and constantly worrying about her imperial identity was pointless.

The other employees in the store were busy, so the owner came over to serve them personally.

"Here is the menu for our two guests."

"Okay, I'll let you know when we need to order."

Santa Karina took the slightly worn but very clean menu. The tables and chairs in the shop weren't dirty or sticky, and the floor was spotless; the owner seemed to be a very hygienic person. She flipped through the menu and chose the tomato meat sauce noodles.

She loved to eat it 500 years ago, and she still loves it now.