The sun seemed to have risen a little earlier than usual. Selene sat up in bed, sunlight streaming in through the window. A tree outside the window blocked most of the light, casting dappled shadows in front of her.

As if sensing her gaze, the tree extended a branch and swayed.

Selene ignored it and, after quickly washing her face, went downstairs. Delight and Richter were sitting at the table, discussing something. They waved to her when she came down.

“You’re just in time,” Delight said, seeing her sit down at the table. “Richter and I were just discussing what to do next.”

“Uh… fly directly to the Holy City?” Selene answered unconsciously.

Delight shook his head.

“That’s clearly not feasible… Let’s summarize the current situation. First, the Holy City is under complete lockdown. The imperial army and the Papal Knights, and probably the Magic Society, are searching everywhere for members of the Church of True Light and the Omniscient Assembly. Going there now would definitely displease Lanstier and the church.

“Also, I went out for a walk and overheard some guards talking. Alorn is under curfew. News of the Holy City’s lockdown has spread. But the documents from the governor’s office aren’t signed by Emperor Evans of Lanstier. Instead, they’re signed by the Pope and the Duke of Weinstein…”

Selene pondered the implications of this in a monarchy, then said,

“Something’s happened to the royal family?”

“That’s very likely,” Delight tapped the table. “As far as I know, the situation in Lanstier is quite unstable. Emperor Evans and some nobles want to make more thorough reforms to the empire, hoping to establish a parliament. Those who support him include Duke Weinstein and some members of the royal family, and Lord Duquesne of Alorn is also among them. But there are many who oppose this. The nobles in the seven provinces in the north and west, and two powerful dukes, oppose this. And the conflict isn’t just verbal. In the past few years, there have been several cases of nobles dying unexpectedly…”

Selene didn’t ask why he knew so much about Lanstier’s political situation. He continued,

“In this situation, if the Emperor, who leads the reformists, suddenly dies, and the reformist nobles in the Holy City are unable to act because of the cults… the document signed by the Pope and Duke Weinstein will be used as an excuse. The conservative nobles might use this to claim that the church, or rather, Duke Weinstein, is colluding with the cults, covering up for the Pope, and plotting a coup.”

“They wouldn’t be that stupid,” Richter countered. “The Church of True Light has a terrible reputation. If this came to light…”

Delight cut him off.

“They might not be stupid, but those involved in political struggles and noble games can’t see this. In their rotten minds, this seems risk-free—the reformists are too busy right now, the heretics might be dangerous, but once they enter the Holy City and control the Duke of Weinstein, they’ll have real power, and the church will be forced to compromise. With the church’s support, the heretics won’t be a threat…”

“But what if Emperor Evans declares them rebels? They can’t actually kill the Emperor…”

Selene patted Richter’s head sympathetically.

“Idiot. They’ll blame the Emperor’s death on the heretics. Then they’ll choose someone without influence from the royal family to become the new Emperor. Then they can secretly control everything. There’s another possibility. A conservative noble is colluding with the Church of True Light. Civil war is their goal. The nobles get to seize power, and the Church of True Light gets the support of a nation…”

Richter wanted to counter this, but after careful consideration, decided not to speak. He knew that he wasn’t very knowledgeable about this subject… In Mittal, the Empress’s word was law. They didn’t have the kind of nobles and factions that existed in Lanstier.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Delight waved his hand, ending the discussion.

“So, Lanstier might face a civil war, possibly one involving a cult. But that won’t happen for at least another half month. That’s not our most pressing concern.”

Even Selene was a little puzzled. Why wouldn’t a civil war be a priority? Was some Evil god planning to descend and personally get involved?

Delight took out a piece of paper and explained,

“I consulted a friend yesterday. He’s a superhuman astrologer who’s skilled in divination. I asked him to use astrology to answer two questions. The first question was Selene’s true identity. We all know she’s the Saintess Shinten. The second question was about my biggest problem on this trip. He didn’t give me a direct answer. He just gave me this piece of paper.”

He spread his hands, revealing the contents of the paper to the two of them.

Selene frowned. All she saw were twisted lines covering the paper, various colors mixing together. The drawing depicted a chaotic scene.

Richter saw some patterns in the lines and, having some knowledge of astrology, knew that astrology rarely gave direct answers. If you asked what you should eat tonight, you might see images completely unrelated to food, like a prairie or a constellation… Interpreting astrological results was mandatory for all astrologers.

He gave up trying to find the meaning of the specific objects and used abstract thinking to consider the paper, attempting to gain some kind of “impression”…

After a while, he looked up.

“I see a collapsed tower, a white wall that seems to have been melted by fire, and a hazy sun in the sky… The location is Alorn.”

Selene looked at him with a surprised expression, completely unable to understand how he had seen so much from a jumble of lines.

Richter shifted uncomfortably and avoided her gaze.

“Shouldn’t we leave here quickly?” Selene abandoned her plan to use threats and inducements on Richter and said earnestly, “That scene was kind of scary…”

Richter sighed, his voice slightly strained.

“The results of astrology are always related to the diviner, the interpreter, and the observer. Theoretically, either we’ll see that scene, or we’ll be involved in it.”

Selene thought for a moment, saying,

“Actually, I don’t mind losing my memory again… Okay, just kidding. We can’t leave, and we can’t stay. Are we just waiting to die?”

“The astrological reading is vague. It doesn’t say we’ll die here,” Delight spread his hands. “I didn’t see any human faces in that vision. But maybe we’ll just see that scene?”

“That’s annoying,” Selene rested her face on the table. A dangerous idea occurred to her. “Master, why don’t you try using a forbidden spell to burn down the city walls and see if it matches the astrological prediction…”

“I’m not suicidal,” Delight replied angrily.

It’s strange. Just two days ago, Selene had been so well-behaved. Why did she suddenly start thinking of mischief…? Or maybe this is her true nature?

Shaking his head, Delight said,

“I plan to go out for a walk these next two days. Alorn is under curfew, and it’s not suitable for you two to be outside. Stay here. Richter, teach Selene about magic. No matter what the astrology says, it’s always good to have more knowledge. Leave the treant here to protect you two.”

The two nodded, watching Delight put on his coat and leave.

Selene yawned and looked at Richter.

“Want to go upstairs and rest?” She glanced at the bedroom downstairs. “You probably didn’t sleep well last night.”

Richter scratched his head.

“Actually, I slept pretty well… Though I’m only a magic apprentice, I can replenish my energy through meditation. And your house is much more comfortable than the wilderness.”

“There’s more space upstairs, and you’re going to teach me magic, aren’t you? I’m not waiting downstairs,” Selene said, adopting an annoyed expression, and unilaterally making a decision. “Upstairs. That’s settled.”

Then she grabbed Richter and pulled him upstairs, forcing him to sit down. Then she went to search for something.

Richter, a little nervous, sat in the chair and looked around the room. Honestly, it was nothing like he imagined a girl’s bedroom would be. There wasn’t much in the way of cute decorations. Selene wasn’t like those noble ladies he’d imagined… except for her appearance.

He remembered his quarters in his master’s magic tower. It was pretty much the same. This made him relax a little, and he focused his attention on Selene.

He saw Selene take several envelopes and a stack of papers from her bag, and then search on the bookshelf, finding another stack of papers. For some reason, he felt as if Selene had a look of fear when she saw these papers.

Richter watched Selene’s shifting expression. Then she suddenly put down the items and asked him,

“Richter, do you know about the Divine Glory Church’s appellations?”

He was startled, then replied,

“Different places, people, have different appellations. But there are some common ones. For example… you, as a Saintess, could call yourself ‘Your Servant’ or ‘Your Envoy’…”

Then he saw Selene hold her breath, her hands clasped together, a little nervous, but not particularly devout, praying to the Lord of Glory,

“I pray to you. You are one of the four Primal Gods, the Lord of Light and Heat, the guide of all beings, the great Lord of Radiance. Your servant prays to you…”

A hazy glow appeared in her palm.