Chapter 169 (1/2)

Lysia had a dream.

In the dream she was standing overlooking the wilderness.

No, it's not a wilderness. It was originally a fertile wheat field.

But the uncultivated land turned into a wasteland, instead of a wheat field.

The ruined village was full of abandoned houses, and where the road once stood, the broken wagons and the stone pillars that marked the village had fallen.

It was rather miserable than the land that had never been cultivated.

Lysia was well aware of the land that was never cultivated. Because the village of the rebels she lived in was on such land.

There were many such places in Evron. A land that has never been plowed because humans have not dared to touch nature. A land with no roads and no villages. Frozen plains that remain as they were.

And as she stood before it, she might have felt fear, but she never felt miserable.

But this place was miserable.

[“I am the opposite.”]

A heavy voice came from behind.

Lysia looked back. She pulled her hair with her two hands as the wind ruffled her hair.

Cedric looked at her with dark eyes.

Not all blacks are equally dark. Cedric's eyes that Lysia knew were originally a gentle night shade.

But now standing in those eyes was a frozen shadow. The old feelings of loneliness and despair were deposited from the depths, and now they have a color as cold as a stone.

Lysia felt sorry for it.

[“There is nothing I can do now. Should I gather my followers and go to war with the temple?”]

[“That might be viable, too.”]

[“It’s really scary when Lord Ced said that.”]

[“If a saint joins Evron’s efforts, it will be quite worth a try.”]

[“You may struggle for a few years. It looks like the temple can be finished, and Evron will be destroyed. Karam will come down after you.”]

Lysia replied that way.

[“Well, I know that Lord Ced wasn’t really meaning what he was saying.”]

[“…….”]

[“I'm fine.”]

Then Cedric let out a long sigh.

[“Lysia.”]

[“I'm fine. Really.”]

[“Lawrence is a cruel man. More so to women.”]

[“Lord Ced.”]

[“Think again. The oracle is not real. It was manipulated by Marquis Rosan.”]

[“Yes. I know it best. Because I am the one who hears the voice of God.”]

Lysia turned her gaze away from Cedric and looked back at the wilderness.

[“With your mouth, you reveal that it is a false oracle. That's all you need to do. No matter what Bishop Akim and his ilk may say, no matter what the temple unitedly claims to be and argues, you are a saint. If you survive and say it's a lie in front of people, that's the end of it.”]

[“How many more sacrifices will I have to make to survive like that? Will I be able to escape the trap of Marquis Rosan by doing that?”]

[“…….”]

[“If I exposed this oracle to be a lie and fight the temple and win, will this disgusting affair be over?”]

Cedric did not respond to that.

[“And it’s not entirely a lie. In the end, I have to change the Emperor's mind.”]

[“Lysia.”]

[“If it’s not the current Emperor, then the heart of the next Emperor. If that doesn’t work, then the heart of the Emperor after the next.”]

said Lysia.

She said that the oracle she received was to look after the poor and in need.

The words were not entirely accurate. To protect her life, she created an interpretation that would pose the least threat to the temples and those in power.

The original oracle is not something that can be accurately translated into human words.

The words that Lysia heard from God were not just one word, but everything.

To save those who live in this world, to save those who suffer from tribulation.

And that she is someone who does not change for it, believes in sincerity and can change others.

Her holy power is nothing but incidental. Even if Lysia heals tens or hundreds of thousands of sick people with her power, if the world doesn't change, the sick will only reappear.

It was the world that had to be healed.

So, her holy power was only a help so that she could shine a light without losing hope on a long and difficult road.

[“I'm going to change Sir Lawrence. The reason that person treats me sweetly now is to get a saint on his side, and I know that he was originally a cruel and selfish person.”]

[“Lysia.”]

[“Still, that person loves me.”]

Lysia smiled sadly.

She thought maybe that's why she became a saint.

[“People can change. The truth will prevail, I believe. And if that person can change, that will be the fastest way to save the Empire.”]

[“I don’t think it’s going to work.”]

[“Even if that doesn’t happen……, at least I can give birth to an heir to the imperial family.”]

Lysia said with her fists clenched. And she looked back at Cedric.

[“Even if we fail, there will be another 20 or 30 years later. I am a saint. No one can threaten my life and position so easily.”]

[“…….”]

[“Lord Ced knows it too. Somebody has to go. Whether it’s Sir Lawrence …… or the Marquis of Rosan, we'll have to see what happens inside the imperial court.”]

[“…… Can't I ask you not to leave?”]

[“Poor man.”]

Lysia let out a sigh.

Her holy powers do not include foresight. But Lysia still seemed to know Cedric's future.

No pillar in this world can hold up the sky alone forever.

Cedric had no one to accompany him. Many were loyal, but none he could lean on equally.

He had many who would risk their life to carry out his orders, but none with whom he would confide in his heart.

If even she herself leaves, he will be left alone for a very long time.