Volume 1, Chapter 78 – The Revelation

The slightly younger cardinal gestured for Fia and her companions to take their seats, while the Chief Inquisitor waved repeatedly at the nun and paladin behind Fia, signaling for them to withdraw.

It wasn’t that the cardinal and the Chief Inquisitor lacked vigilance, but rather that if Fia truly intended to do something, the presence of a paladin wouldn’t change the outcome. Moreover, if Fia had harbored ill intentions, she wouldn’t have driven away the Moon Dragon for the Church’s sake the previous night—at least, that was the Church’s perspective.

Soon, both sides were seated.

“We are aware that we have acted excessively, but the war two years ago was not initiated by me or the Chief Inquisitor. It was others in the upper echelons of the Church. As you in Silvar likely know, the Yuna Church has always been divided into two factions regarding elves—one advocating war, and the other, peace, which includes me and the Chief Inquisitor. We hope to sit down with the two princesses and discuss matters properly. Ideally, we would like to cease hostilities and live in peace.”

As he spoke, the cardinal occasionally glanced at the Chief Inquisitor beside him, making it clear that he was merely a mouthpiece.

Cardinals held extremely high status within the Church. For a cardinal to serve as a mouthpiece, the person referred to as the Chief Inquisitor must have held even greater authority.

Without betraying her inner thoughts, Fia, seated on one side of the long table, responded with a reserved smile befitting a princess.

“Before we discuss official matters, I must first apologize to His Excellency the Bishop and His Excellency the Inquisitor.. Yesterday, my companion was overly concerned for my safety and acted impulsively, damaging the Unsinkable Moon… That won’t require compensation, will it? If that Darkborn girl had been allowed to unleash the Unsinkable Moon, there’s no telling how many lives would have been lost. Human life is priceless—no artifact, no matter how valuable, can compare.”

The cardinal’s expression visibly stiffened, but he quickly composed himself and forced a bitter smile.

“The Unsinkable Moon is a national treasure of the Milcandis Holy Kingdom. We must first report to His Holiness the Pope before we can give you an answer, Your Highness. But please rest assured, the Chief Inquisitor and I will do our utmost to explain to His Holiness the critical role you played in this battle and strive to provide Silvar with a satisfactory response.”

Tch.

Fia clicked her tongue.

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“Do our utmost”? What a load of nonsense—this is just stalling.

Still, Fia had never expected a cardinal and a Chief Inquisitor to have the final say over the fate of the Unsinkable Moon. If they had that kind of authority, given their positions and their faction’s stance for peace, the two-year war between the Holy Kingdom and the elf kingdom would never have happened in the first place.

Of course, just because they lacked full decision-making power didn’t mean Fia had to be accommodating. She wasn’t acting alone—she represented the elf kingdom and the soldiers who had lost their lives and families in the war.

After a brief silence, Anastasia, seated beside Fia in her capacity as an aide, took over the conversation.

Compared to Fia, Anastasia’s demeanor and tone were far more severe. Everything was proceeding according to their prearranged plan.

“I presume the two representatives of the Holy Kingdom are aware that while Her Highness holds the status of crown princess, due to the sudden nature of these events, she has not yet obtained the authority from His Majesty to dictate the course of the war. Therefore, any agreements we reach here will still need to be approved by His Majesty and cannot be considered final.”

“O-Of course, that’s understandable.” The cardinal clasped his hands together on the table. “The Chief Inquisitor and I hope the elf side will cease hostilities on the front lines. As a gesture of goodwill, we are willing to withdraw our forces first.”

“And what else?” Anastasia asked, as if the question were obvious. “I hope Your Excellency understands your current position. You are the ones pleading with us, not the other way around. Merely withdrawing your forces is insufficient to compensate for our losses. Silvar can prolong this war for ten years—or even a hundred. Now that you’ve lost your national treasure and witnessed Her Highness repel the Moon Dragon, do you truly believe you still have the right to negotiate with us as equals?”

“The only reason Aurora City hasn’t been erased from the World Tree Continent is because Her Highness is merciful and willing to give you one chance. I advise you both to demonstrate the proper attitude. This is not a negotiation—we are merely hearing your terms of surrender. And don’t even think of scheming—unless you’d like a repeat of last night’s Divine Judgment. I doubt human flesh is any sturdier than the Unsinkable Moon.”

As Anastasia spoke, Claire, who had been standing behind Fia with her right arm resting on her left, took a step forward with a gentle smile. Though Claire radiated nothing but feminine grace and charm at that moment, to the cardinal and the Chief Inquisitor, she might as well have been a demon.

Even if they hadn’t witnessed Claire’s terrifying display of Divine Judgment, the curse emanating from her was enough to send a chill down their spines.

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And Anastasia’s words were no bluff. The Milcandis Holy Kingdom had never been a match for the elf kingdom in terms of national strength. Their decision to attack had been based on the assumption that the elves were forced to station the bulk of their forces in the south every winter to fend off the undead from the Netherrealm.

If they could exploit the elves’ weakened western front and launch a swift invasion, capturing the elf capital within three months, they could force the elf king to surrender despite their numerical disadvantage. War wasn’t simply about superior equipment or stronger soldiers—strategy, intelligence, morale, and even luck all played decisive roles.

But they had gambled and lost. Two years of grueling stalemate had left the Holy Kingdom with no end in sight. No one knew how much longer the war would drag on. By the time the Apocalypse foretold by the Goddess of Life arrived, they might still be locked in a deadlock with the elves at the border—an outcome they could not afford.

Anastasia’s words made the cardinal take a deep breath. Realizing that Fia would not be easily swayed, he interlaced his fingers, his expression shifting from a relaxed smile to one of solemn gravity.

“In that case, let us speak frankly. The reason we initiated this war was not because those in power sought greater authority, nor was it to alleviate internal conflicts through war. It was because the Goddess herself delivered a revelation—the Apocalypse will soon descend upon us.”

The moment these words left his mouth, the brows of everyone in the room twitched slightly.

Anastasia pressed on expressionlessly.

“The Apocalypse?”

“Indeed. The power of the Apocalypse will be enough to shatter the continent, reverse the sun and moon. Rivers will turn foul, wells will run dry, the land will yield no crops, and animals will perish one after another. Monsters will rise in droves, and the earth will be scorched by lava and death. The prophecy of the Apocalypse was initially just a single sentence. The details we know now are the result of His Holiness burning his own lifespan to beg the Goddess for more answers.”

“Only you devout believers would take such words at face value.”

“Don’t you elves believe in your own gods?!”

The cardinal’s voice rose with agitation.

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For those who didn’t live in a theocratic state, it was difficult to understand the mindset of the devout. Likewise, the devout struggled to comprehend how others could live without faith.

Anastasia frowned.

“But we don’t treat our gods’ words as a cure-all. Only madmen would attack a stronger nation over an unverifiable prophecy. Tell me, what exactly did you stand to gain by waging war on us elves? Did you think conquering the elf kingdom would somehow save everyone from this so-called Apocalypse?”

“If we don’t unite all forces before the end comes, no one will survive!”

“Even if more peaceful means of alliance were possible?”

“Who knows how soon the Apocalypse will arrive? It could be ten years—or the next second! Do you honestly believe the elves would have sat down with us to discuss unity?”

“And the obstacle to unity wasn’t your Holy Kingdom? Preposterous. If you expect us to be swayed by this unverifiable ‘revelation,’ then we’ll see you on the battlefield.”

The cardinal clenched his fists and stood, his face flushing with agitation.

“The forces of Chaos and the Darkborn—who should never stand together—have already joined hands! The Dry Desert has witnessed the emergence of tenth-tier magic, and this is only the fifth year since the revelation! These are the omens of the Apocalypse! If you refuse to believe, we will lose our greatest hope. Don’t let short-sightedness doom your entire race!”

As the discussion threatened to devolve into meaningless argument, Fia, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

Her voice, though still carrying traces of childishness, held a quieting power.

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“Could you please sit down, Your Excellency? As for this ‘revelation’ you speak of, we will need to return to the elf kingdom and consult our own deity before we can draw any conclusions. Our faith lies not with the Goddess of Life—I hope you can understand that.”

“Hah…”

Fia’s words gradually calmed the cardinal. Once he had retaken his seat, she continued.

“Setting aside the matter of the revelation, we owe an explanation to the soldiers who perished in this war—and to their families. That explanation cannot come at the expense of the elf kingdom itself. Otherwise, we risk destabilizing our nation, which would only hinder our ability to face any potential Apocalypse in the future. Regarding this, Your Excellency, Chief Inquisitor—do you have a proposal?”

In sync with Fia’s words, Liti, seated to Fia’s left and slightly shorter than her, unrolled a scroll of parchment on the table.

It detailed the war reparations the elf kingdom demanded.

Due to the morning’s time constraints, even Fia’s sharp mind had struggled to finalize the figures—primarily due to a lack of specifics. For instance, a single cow might cost seven gold coins in the north but only five in the milder south. Such discrepancies had given Fia, unfamiliar with the region, a headache. She’d had to rely on Anastasia’s estimates.

Moreover, since Anastasia herself wasn’t fully aware of the exact casualties on the front lines, all calculations had been deliberately inflated. Fia saw no issue with this—victors could afford to be demanding.

As for whether the Holy Kingdom would agree, Fia had never expected these two to have the authority to decide on reparations in the first place. This was merely a preliminary notice. Negotiations were rarely settled in one sitting—it would take multiple rounds to gauge each other’s limits. Eventually, the Holy Kingdom would send envoys to speak with her father, the elf king. Let them handle the tedious details.

For now, Fia’s goals were twofold: intimidate the Holy Kingdom, and secure some tangible concessions. That way, when she returned home, she would have stronger footing before the elf throne.

The cardinal and the Chief Inquisitor first glanced at the final figure on the parchment, then looked up at Fia in unison. Upon seeing the serene smiles of Fia and her companions, their faces promptly turned ashen.