Chapter 389: Peace?
To make this conversation appear slightly more natural to outsiders, Astrid would only give Monica half an hour. Once that time passed, no matter what the other party wished to say, she would no longer pay attention.
After all, holding a private meeting with someone as sensitive as the Saintess of Light also carried considerable risks for Astrid. Her willingness to actively cooperate with Monica in staging this little act was already the greatest sincerity she could offer.
"Princess Astrid, your rationality makes you seem utterly unlike someone of your age."
Facing Astrid’s subtle warning, Monica felt somewhat helpless deep down, yet she understood that the other’s actions were beneficial for both sides.
Indeed, it wasn’t appropriate for her to grow too close to the enemy nation’s imperial princess.
Gazing at the silver-haired beauty before her, as cool and distant as moonlight, Monica steadied her heart and spoke seriously.
"Since we’ve come this far, there’s no need to continue hiding behind veiled words."
"I believe someone as perceptive as Princess Astrid, a noble of such keen insight, should have already sensed the thick scent of blood between the Valeria Empire and the Kingdom of Velys."
Restricted entry, closed trade, troops massed at the borders, these series of moves almost openly declared that war was imminent.
"Mmm." Astrid nodded, her fingers gently stroking the silver hair at her waist.
"I think everything Miss Monica mentioned doesn’t require special attention. Anyone who isn’t a complete fool oblivious to their surroundings should be able to see it clearly."
Of course, Astrid’s statement only applied to the upper nobility of the Valeria Empire. Lower-ranking nobles and commoners, limited by their narrow sources of information, truly could easily miss the gunpowder scent spreading along the border.
Just as ordinary farmers in remote mountain villages or hunters who lived by hunting beasts, how would they know the sword hanging above their heads was about to fall?
Hearing no change in Astrid’s tone, Monica pursed her lips and continued speaking.
"Before setting foot on Valeria Empire territory, I swore before the Holy Statue of the God of Light that I would not use any subjective means to alter others’ faith, nor commit any of the filthy sins mentioned in the Holy Canon."
"I came here with ideals of peace, hoping to seek like-minded allies."
Upon hearing this, Astrid’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly. Her slender arms slowly crossed over her chest, one elbow resting against her wrist as she propped her chin on a single hand.
"So then, Miss Monica, you’ve found me?"
"I’m curious, why are you so certain that I am a peace ambassador hoping to extinguish the flames of war before they ignite, rather than a warmonger eager to profit from a great conflict?"
If war truly breaks out, the Kingdom of Velys may not necessarily be the side with the advantage.
Much was known about Hibbort’s poor health, including figures like Lady Charlotte and Duke Charles. But exactly how severe his condition was, perhaps only she, as a transmigrator well-versed in the plot, and Hibbort himself truly knew.
In other words, the Kingdom of Velys couldn’t accurately predict when the Valeria Empire’s weakest period would arrive. Meanwhile, the increasingly sharp class conflicts within its own borders were forcing it to make decisions quickly.
Commoners’ discontent had long accumulated; the zeal of missionaries to spread their teachings grew stronger every day. The Kingdom of Velys was racing against time. In a certain sense, Hibbort’s situation was extremely similar; he also wanted to use his remaining time to consolidate domestic factions, settle his affairs, and leave the empire with a monarch capable of standing firm amid the chaos of war.
Monica didn’t answer immediately after hearing this, pausing for a moment instead.
"Since war is unavoidable, the most important thing before the war horn sound is to assess the war potential of both sides. For this, the Kingdom of Velys possesses its own scale of judgment."
"The Valeria Empire’s military is mainly composed of knights, most of whom are guards selected by Duke Charles. They mainly rely on combat techniques as their means of fighting, with low dependence on magic, and correspondingly, weak resistance against it."
"Because the Valeria nobility nearly monopolized all magical resources, the common people have no access to this power. This means only young noble offspring can study magic. Without considering individual quality, the total number of mages in the Valeria Empire is far lower than in the Kingdom of Velys, which is under the protection of the Holy Light Church."
"This is a difference brought about by national conditions."
The nobility continuously optimizes their bloodlines, achieving extremely high magical compatibility. Yet their strict control over magical resources eliminated many potential geniuses among the commoners.
Someone like Lyra, a prodigy born in a remote mountain village, was a rare occurrence in the entire history of the empire. In the Kingdom of Velys, however, fresh blood joined the magical community every moment.
At this point, Monica looked straight into Astrid’s eyes, her voice soft.
"Even if His Majesty has increased military spending in recent years, it’s difficult to compensate for the shortage of manpower."
"If both nations were free of internal troubles and faced each other head-on, the balance of victory would still tilt toward the Kingdom of Velys, though the win might ultimately be extremely bloody."
This was exactly what Monica feared most. Once war broke out, it would inevitably mean sacrifice and bloodshed. The ones who suffer will always be the common people and the fanatical believers who thought they were dying for their faith.
Astrid fluttered her eyelashes upon hearing this, her long legs, covered in fine black silk, swaying slightly back and forth. After a moment, she smiled slightly.
"Interesting."
"Miss Monica’s analysis is quite thorough."
Indeed, in the original novel, the Valeria Empire suffered continuous defeats in the early stages of war, constantly on the defensive. It wasn’t until the Kingdom of Velys’s supply lines stretched too thin, combined with Amalia being elevated to power and stabilizing the domestic situation, and the rapid development of Magical weapons, that the empire gradually shifted from defense to offense, eventually counterattacking into Kingdom of Velys territory.
However, one factor the Velys King hadn’t foreseen was that with Astrid’s intervention, in this timeline, the Valeria Empire’s magical devices were developing rapidly. Furthermore, due to Hibbort’s direct oversight, research points were being stacked toward destructive power. Before long, standardized weapons for military deployment will appear.
Of course, Astrid had neither need nor reason to disclose these details to Monica. Even if the latter continued to hold her current assumptions, it wouldn’t make much difference. Her earlier statements were merely intended to clarify who held the upper hand in these negotiations, and incidentally, to extract some information from Monica.
"It’s exactly because I see this point that I don’t wish for war between our nations," Astrid said, curving her lips into a smile. "It seems our goals align. So, Miss Monica, do you have any solutions?"
Anyone could identify the problem; The key lies in how to resolve it.
The biggest obstacle now is the Kingdom of Velys itself. As the imperial princess of Valeria, Astrid couldn’t reach that far, her influence dismissed, at least until Amalia officially took power.
"I will try to change some of the believers’ perspectives within the Church."
"No one wishes to remain on the battlefield after having stepped onto it for a while."
Put simply, as the Saintess, Monica could internally cultivate war-weariness, thereby accelerating the war’s end.
"Sounds somewhat insufficient," Astrid commented honestly. "In other words, Miss Monica, you’ve already accepted that war is unavoidable."
Monica nodded calmly after hearing this.
"I must admit, given the current national conditions of the Kingdom of Velys, preventing war from occurring is almost impossible."
From the high-ranking bishops of the Church to the brainwashed fanatical believers, everyone was actively preparing for war.
"As the Saintess, my abilities are actually quite limited, insignificant, even, when swept along by the tide of the era. Yet I still wish to do something for the land that bears me, to reduce the bloodshed of the innocent."
"This is exactly why I sought out Princess Astrid."
As she spoke, Monica crossed her hands and placed them against her chest.
"In magical devices, I’ve seen another path, one that could alleviate, or even potentially solve, the problem without war."
The Kingdom of Velys’s core conflict lies in the struggle between commoners and nobles. The latter, relying on hereditary status, exploiting and exploiting the former, continuously seizing land. The quality of commoners’ lives deteriorated repeatedly, approaching rock bottom.
Once the war encounters setbacks and domestic conflicts intensify, the Kingdom of Velys will collapse from within.
What was needed now was to pacify the commoners. Yet the nobles would rather die clutching their gold and treasures than spare even a scrap of surplus grain. Since the pie couldn’t be redistributed, the only option was to find a way to make it bigger. Even if the proportions remain unchanged, the portion reaching the farmers’ hands will be enough to fill their bellies.
The immense potential behind magical devices was the key to enlarging that pie.
"Miss Monica hopes I’ll share my current research progress and bring this knowledge to the Kingdom of Velys?"
Astrid’s words sounded like a question, but the meaning she conveyed was clearly not one.
Under current circumstances, teaching knowledge of magical devices to the enemy nation’s Saintess was, strictly speaking, no different from aiding the enemy.
Monica naturally understood this point and added softly, "Such an unreasonable request, I imagine Princess Astrid could never possibly agree."
"What I mean is, once relations between our two nations return to a normal level, I hope we can establish a cooperative relationship."
"I know this might sound overly idealistic, but I will strive for it, even if it costs me everything."
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have traveled thousands of miles to the Valeria Empire or spoken these words to Astrid.
"Sacrifice everything?"
Astrid softly repeated Monica’s final words, her gaze flicking over the strands of hair falling on the woman’s shoulders and the delicate, pristine white shawl.
"Miss Monica, is this truly what you mean?"
"Are you really willing to sacrifice anything?"
Hearing Astrid’s slightly lowered voice, Monica lifted her eyes, placing her hand over her chest with a firm tone.
"Yes, Princess Astrid."
"Everything."
Hardly had the words left her lips when Monica suddenly sensed something amiss. Her gaze focused before her, locking onto those unique crimson eyes.
Astrid still stood tall and poised, exactly as she had at the beginning of their conversation.
Revealing one’s bottom line so easily during negotiations was a grave mistake, and she had unknowingly been led into it by the other party.
After a moment, Astrid smiled gently and spoke softly.
"I see. I roughly understand Miss Monica’s needs now."
Needs, or bottom lines? Monica remained silent, continuing to hand over the initiative to Astrid.
"If the cooperation is to this extent, I’m not entirely unwilling to accept."
After all, the major prerequisite, "relations between the two nations restored to a normal level", wasn’t easy to achieve. In Astrid’s view, at least three conditions needed to be fulfilled.
First, the nation that initiated the war must pay a substantial war reparations sum to ensure post-war reconstruction. Second, the nobles of the Kingdom of Velys who instigated the war must face strict trials and be firmly branded as war criminals.
The final point: the Kingdom of Velys must have a king who loves peace. This was the key to enabling any cooperation.
"If Miss Monica can fulfill these conditions, then as a cooperating party, I will also provide assistance within my capabilities."
"I am merely the Third Imperial Princess, Astrid Calliste. I cannot possibly represent the entire Valeria Empire."
What a cunning answer.
Monica inwardly remarked while unable to help admiring, compared to the two crown princes, the Third Princess’s rhetorical skill was clearly a level above.
’I understand.’
At the very least, Astrid had given a promise and clarified her position.
"Speaking of which, Miss Monica truly places great trust in me."
"If I recorded these words with a crystal stone, Miss Monica would be in considerable trouble."
During their conversation, Astrid’s words had been extremely restrained. Even if truly leaked, there would be nothing substantial to hold against her.
Monica, however, was entirely different. Her political stance contradicted the Kingdom of Velys’s upper echelons. Once exposed, her situation will become extremely dangerous.
"It’s not just Princess Astrid I trust," Monica said. "It’s also Miss Lyra."
Having received the gaze of the divine and obtained a sacred artifact of the same origin as holy relics, Lyra was undoubtedly the being closest to the source of Holy Light.
Anyone capable of forming a close relationship with such a pure soul could never be mere polluted dust.
And... there was also something about the other party that Monica couldn’t quite articulate...
An extremely special sensation, something transcendent, as if not belonging to this era.
She had almost forgotten, this Saintess was a faithful believer. Hearing this, Astrid didn’t press further, instead glancing at the wall clock.
"Twenty minutes left, Miss Monica..."
Upon hearing Astrid’s words, Monica gave a slight nod, placing her hand at her waist and facing the mirror to gently tug at the silk corset.
"Time is limited. It seems we’ll have to talk while changing, Princess Astrid."
As the silk ribbon binding her slender waist dropped onto the carpet, covering half the smooth, delicate white silk atop her feet, Monica’s white dress instantly became loose and slack.
The Saintess’s figure was already alluring, and now, in the confined space with her clothes half-removed, the sweet scent of her body quickly filled the entire dressing room, adding a touch of allure to her inherently pure and sacred aura.