The Royal Capital, Lilith, after a day of prayer, was now below guiding the Sisters to meet the Pope.
Since the death of Augustus III, the entire Royal Capital had calmed down like a still pond.
The previously boisterous hero chancellor Caudic had recently been unusually low-profile, doing nothing except for regularly reporting to the new king.
Lilith had also been feeling unwell lately; the storyline of this world had completely collapsed.
If the narrative that had come before was just a bit abstract, the current storyline could be described as going berserk.
The old king’s suspicious direct death, the northern duke being killed by his own son, the Lars family completely fracturing.
Lilith had only played the first part, but as a heavy player, she had seen the project news for the seventh part on the media that the Sisters had created.
Based on the clues, shouldn’t the seventh part be about the Southern Border and Anju Kingdom being at odds? Why did the Northern Border explode first?
Could it be that the female protagonist went to the Northern Border?
For Lilith, the narrative completely exceeding her understanding was the most unsettling.
Moreover, according to the latest news, the faction led by the female protagonist and Lena had just won an incredible war, led by an NPC whose name sounded just like her brother’s. The Northern Border was now in utter chaos.
These may not concern Lilith, but Klan, the male character Lilith intended to pursue, had already ascended to the throne ahead of time.
Although it was a peaceful succession, the process was not exactly exciting; the bizarre situation surrounding Augustus III had become an open secret among the nobility. Klan now not only had to support the declining kingdom but also balance the situation in the Northern Border while being wary of the Anju Kingdom, which had already begun to take action.
Klan, after his succession, was under great pressure, often crying to Lilith late at night, sometimes asking her about some matters, and showing her reform plans in imitation of the Anju Kingdom, which even gave Lilith the illusion of being a mother.
As the Saintess and prospective princess, Lilith felt nothing like the fairy tale ending where the girl and the prince lived happily ever after.
Sometimes Lilith even felt that she might not be a prospective princess, but rather the queen mother.
“Your Holiness.”
Lilith performed the most standard etiquette towards the seated old Pope.
The old Pope nodded slightly, indicating for Lilith to sit down.
The people around them retreated; tonight the Pope had issued a command and had very important matters to discuss in detail with the Saintess.
Although he was the Pope, at that moment the old Pope wore simple robes, even showing some signs of mending.
It was clear that the old Pope was also very weary; the Church of the Light Goddess was no longer at its former glory. Although it remained a major faith on the continent, it could only shrink back into the Cape Kingdom, becoming a vassal of royal power.
“How is the old king doing?”
Here, the old king referred to Augustus III, but Lilith found it hard to understand; Augustus III was no different from being dead, turning into a vegetative state requiring assistance even for eating.
“No new news has come from the palace.”
Lilith responded truthfully. If it were the true female protagonist, she might discover some clues, but Lilith was just a fake; becoming a Saintess relied more on political factors, completely different from the true female protagonist who became one through her own strength.
Hearing this answer, the old Pope hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood up, moved to the rack where he kept his crown, and slowly opened a hidden compartment, taking out a small lantern that shone with a bright yellow light.
Seeing Lilith’s confused expression toward the lantern, the old Pope felt relieved and placed the lantern next to himself before sitting back down. At that moment, Lilith saw that inside the lantern was not a wick but a strange stone emitting light.
This light was not dazzling; in fact, it could be looked at directly, and merely looking at this brightness generated a sense of comfort.
The old Pope didn’t immediately start introducing the lantern, but rather said to Lilith: “Come, let us pray to the Goddess first, thanking her for allowing us to go through another peaceful and stable day.”
After Lilith’s devout prayer, the old Pope asked: “Saintess Lilith, do you remember what powers the Goddess holds?”
“Light, healing and purification, as well as the sun, moon, and stars, daytime and nighttime.”
The first three that Lilith mentioned were also the standard answers for church school exams, while the latter ones were generally known only to clergy and devout believers.
The Light Goddess had many titles: the Saintess of Salvation, the Light of Discipline, the God of Healing, Master of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Thus, the powers of the goddess were the most numerous and convoluted. A seminary once jokingly noted: “If one encounters something and doesn’t know to which deity’s domain it belongs, praying to the Great Goddess definitely won’t be wrong.”
It was somewhat like how in modern archaeology, discovering some strange object would simply be placed under the sacrificial category.
The old Pope nodded, adding: “People’s faith in light originally came from the sun, moon, and stars in the heavens, and the goddess was initially the divine who governed the sun, moon, and stars, day and night. Later, she became the deity of light.”
“The goddess’s powers are numerous, and these powers are closely related to our divine arts. But Saintess Lilith, do you know that dreams are also a power of the goddess?”
In an instant, Lilith thought of Augustus III, lying in bed, half-dead; his state was exactly like being asleep.
Seeing Lilith’s expression, the old Pope pushed the lantern he had first presented to Lilith.
“This lantern has the star fragments bestowed by the goddess, and it is also a divine revelation from the goddess. It can guide one in dreams and can enter into others’ dreams; use this lantern to protect the new Majesty.”
Lilith did not immediately take the lantern but instead asked: “Your Holiness, what would happen if someone entered another’s dream and killed the dream’s master?”
“Didn’t you see it before?”
Indeed, in an instant, cold sweat broke out on Lilith.
“There is no need to be so anxious.”
The old Pope reassured: “Entering another’s dream is very difficult; the conditions are harsh. If no one helps, it is quite hard for anyone to enter the new Majesty’s dreams.”
“Is there a traitor in the palace?”
Regarding Klan’s safety, Lilith, ignoring the etiquette, directly posed her question.
“It is not impossible for a traitor to be within the palace.”
The old Pope directly stated a worst-case scenario.
“Your Holiness, if someone entered Klan’s father’s dreams and killed him, does that mean that individual also possesses this lantern? Why would such a crucial item be hidden in a secret compartment?”
Lilith changed her previously dignified and knowledgeable demeanor and began to urgently inquire the old Pope for useful information.
“Do you remember the incident with the Saintess a hundred years ago?”
The old Pope slowly spoke: “The current narrative is that the then-Saintess engaged with heresy and was polluted by its doctrine, leading many believers to spread distorted teachings, which resulted in a split with the Holy See and waged war with other faiths.”
“The real situation was that there was no heretical doctrine. The then-Saintess prayed under these two lanterns and realized the heretical teachings herself. The more devout the Saintes were, the more they recognized the teachings of that Saintess, ultimately leading to the division of the Holy See and the war.”
“Those two lanterns contained star fragments originally granted by the goddess as a divine revelation and were the goddess’s last miracle. We made them into lanterns, symbolizing that the goddess, like a bright lamp, guides our way forward.”
“Little did we expect, the more devout believers prayed under the lantern, the more easily they turned into heretics. So after that Saintess fell into heresy, we decided to hide the lanterns. Unfortunately, it was already a bit late, as one of the lanterns had already been stolen by that Saintess.”
After saying this, there was a somewhat awkward exchange of glances between the old Pope and Lilith.
Clearly, both Lilith and the old Pope had previously prayed around this lantern, yet it seemed to show no reaction.
“Don’t be nervous, Saintess Lilith. Being able to view the Great Goddess objectively may not be a bad thing.”
The two highest authorities of the Church seemed not to exhibit devoutness after all.
