Chapter 693: Healing

"Also... if Lyra wants to wait..."

As the woman continued speaking, her long legs, sheathed in smooth black stockings, kept brushing and teasing with subtle, deliberate movements. Rather than leaving his hands where they had rested on her waist and lower stomach, she gently lifted the elegant skirt that had shifted upward as she sat. The layered folds, dark as the night sky, cascaded gracefully over her legs, concealing both them and the lover’s hand resting between them.

"Anytime is fine. You don’t need to find some excuses, you know~"

Even without any particular reason, purely for pleasure, Astrid didn’t think it was a problem at all.

At her lover’s words, Lyra’s ears flushed an even deeper red. Her free hand clenched the hem of her skirt while the other remained between his legs. Her gaze had become unfocused, her eyes seemingly swimming with dizzy, muddled symbols.

"That kind of thing..."

She hesitated for a long while, then, looking at Astrid’s face, spoke in a small voice.

"How can you just... say it so casually..."

It was a little too strange.

At Lyra’s answer, Astrid lifted her gaze, the curve of her lips deepening.

"Oh? Then can I take it as... Lyra has admitted it?"

"Admitted what?"

"That what you said just now was an excuse."

Saying it was for tomorrow’s joint casting, that to make the soul resonance smoother, they needed to "deeply communicate" tonight, to ensure sufficient familiarity with each other.

"..."

Lyra fell silent for two or three seconds. The pink hair scattered over her shoulders swayed left and right like willows in the wind as she shook her head quickly.

"How is that possible? It wasn’t an excuse!"

"Then why did you hesitate for a moment?"

"Did I?"

"Mhm."

It was true, she did want it a little. But it absolutely wasn’t the main factor. It was just that when Lyra was thinking of ways to deepen their bond, she happened to think of that.

And then she recalled the pleasure that came from it, so she brought it up along the way.

Cause and effect were clear and logical. It wasn’t "wrapping dumplings just for the vinegar."

Because...

Stared at quietly by those cool, clear red eyes, Lyra, who wasn’t good at lying to begin with, rubbed her legs in a fluster. Her delicate, petite white-stockinged ankles, from the motion, gained a few visible fabric creases.

"..."

No matter how she thought, she couldn’t come up with a proper explanation. Face red, Lyra’s voice was as tiny as a mosquito.

"Thinking about what exactly would raise our proficiency... naturally, there was just a little bit..."

Only this, Lyra really couldn’t deny. She truly wanted to be intimate with Astrid, no matter the form.

Holding hands, hugging, kissing, lying together in bed to sleep, anything. As long as she could stay with her.

The moment her words fell, as if afraid of being misunderstood, the pink-haired girl, who’d only been able to speak in fragments, instantly recovered her ability to talk and hurriedly added,

"Astrid, don’t overthink it! It’s really just a little bit!"

Otherwise, the image she had in Astrid’s heart would definitely become weird.

Seeing Lyra’s face flushed red, thinking only of salvaging her image from the "little pervert girl" category, Astrid smiled sweetly, her tone exceptionally gentle.

"Alright, alright. I believe you, Lyra."

Given Astrid’s understanding of her, when it came to important matters Lyra basically never thought in a private direction; the starting point of her suggestion really was tomorrow’s safety for the two of them.

But understanding was understanding, when it came to the "bully the little puppy" segment she was supposed to have, Astrid still couldn’t resist the malicious fun in her heart.

"But that also proves one thing: my charm is still a little lacking."

Looking at the hand she’d deliberately hidden beneath her skirt so that no movement could be seen, Astrid leaned forward and lightly hooked a finger under Lyra’s chin.

"Seems I’ll have to work harder in the future."

Surrounded by a light, clean fragrance, the soft carpet felt more like a spacious bed. The world around them seemed to fade into silence until nothing remained but the sound of their breathing and the gentle rustle of fabric brushing against itself.

Cold, silver hair spilled over the blanket and mingled with long pink hair, black and white weaving together, pressed tightly against each other.

After a long while, as their deeper exchange began, a low, soft, winding voice rose in the room, like an elegant, moving piece of music.

.......................

In truth, to get the conservative faction within the Church of Light to loosen their grip, it requires more than pressure from both inside and out. They also needed time to digest it, to reduce their psychological resistance.

The "second day" in Astrid’s plan was delayed for two or three days due to internal changes in the Church. Only on the fourth day after the speech ended did the proposal, to let the Empire’s "Dream" enter the [Holy Radiant City] to treat the sick, truly passed.

Afterward, the Church of Light arranged logistics troops to bring in gravely ill patients from surrounding towns, and had them temporarily reside within the [Holy Radiant City]; the high concentration of light-element particles could suppress the plague to a certain extent. It couldn’t completely cure them, but it could ease their symptoms somewhat.

As for the plague’s terrifying potential infectivity, first, the Holy City itself possesses a certain ability to resist disease; second, the knights within the Holy City were generally at the Great Knight rank or above, with physiques strong enough that they wouldn’t be harmed by the epidemic. Thus, there was no such thing as the Holy City becoming a "plague hotbed."

After stabilizing the army and finishing the arrangements, Astrid, having spent several consecutive days "intimately communicating" with Lyra, left Coldwind City with her, as well as the head maid, and headed toward the Church of Light that stood in distant confrontation with them.

Monica had long since prepared, instructing the knights not to be overly tense, nor to keep constant surveillance, just bring them to the Council Chamber.

As for the rest, she and Captain Kales will handle it.

Entering the Holy City, seeing that aside from the outermost layer of light bricks, the interior was mostly earthen houses stacked by earth magic, Lyra’s expression didn’t change. Listening to the familiar click of high heels in her ear, she walked step by step towards the city center.

For the [Holy Radiant City] in its complete form to be sustained long-term, the daily consumption of mental power was an enormous figure. This was also the primary reason the Church’s knights couldn’t rely on it to forcibly carve a path through the cold wave and invade the Valeria Empire.

The optimal solution was to first deploy field magic in the short term, keeping the wind, snow, and any possible enemy attacks outside, and then use earth magic in coordination with logistics troops to build barracks, gradually reducing the inner-city scale of the Holy City, ultimately replacing the light bricks with earth and stone.

Following a squad of Holy Light Knights into the central district and ascending the palace along steps of light, Lyra’s hand brushed the hilt of her sword. Abundant mental power fully wrapped around the three of them.

In a Holy City overflowing with light-element particles, Lyra’s combat power far surpasses Astrid’s and Elise’s. If anything unexpected happened, she would be the absolute main force.

A moment later, arriving at the Council Chamber, Astrid saw the Saintess in a sacred-white robe, her figure full and curvaceous, Monica Angelis.

"It’s been a long time, Your Honored Highness Astrid."

Clear eyes reflect the snow-white, beautiful face of the silver-haired beauty. A trace of devotion flashed unconsciously; Monica herself stopped from kneeling by instinct, and her two plump, long white-stockinged legs straightened.

"Our last meeting was during the Magic Exchange Tournament, when we visited the Valeria Empire’s capital, the city known as the City of Glory."

In the light mirror formed from holy relics and the flawless Holy Sword of Light, the two had indeed met many times. But in reality, the last time the Saintess and the Empire’s Regent spoke face to face was still years ago.

To be more specific, it had been in the Imperial Regent’s private dressing room.

Hearing Monica, Astrid halted, her voice gentle.

"Miss Monica, I trust you’ve been well."

"As expected of one who serves the Lord in purity, you’re still as dazzling as you were that night."

The "night" Astrid referred to was, naturally, the night before the Kingdom of Velys delegation withdrew, when Monica participated in the banquet in a pure white formal gown.

"Your Highness Astrid flatters me. In terms of appearance, how has the most dazzling gem of the Valeria Empire ever fallen behind others?"

After a half-performative, half-sincere exchange of pleasantries, Monica led them into the room. Kales was already inside, waiting.

..................

"I’m very glad to meet the Empire’s Regent, Astrid Calliste, under these circumstances."

"Captain Kales, you overstate it. For us to sit at this negotiating table and resolve disputes through peaceful means, this is inseparable from both sides’ restraint and understanding."

As the woman’s voice fell, Lyra and Elise took their seats in order along Astrid’s left side. Monica, meanwhile, sat on the right, facing Lyra, and pressed close beside Astrid, like the safety belt for a solo infiltration.

Last night, they had carefully discussed every detail: how to open the topic, where each person would sit, everything was executed according to plan.

Aside from Monica, who was still just a final sliver of trust away from reaching the "Believer" level, only Kales was outside the plan. And their main goal today was to convince him to believe Lyra’s speech, adding another spark to the Church of Light’s division.

"As for the specifics, the prior letters have already explained them. I won’t repeat myself."

Gazing at the beauty in the gorgeous black dress not far away, like the bright moon in the night sky, Kales had not the slightest heart to appreciate it. His tone was low.

"Before there are verified facts, I cannot believe the usurper Lyra’s one-sided words."

Even if the Pope truly had strayed and taken a path he shouldn’t, that still didn’t prove Lyra was right, that she was the one "upon whom the Lord has cast His gaze."

And could Astrid really do as Lyra promised, treat the kingdom’s lower-class commoners well, and carry out what the Church of Light once did?

Toward nobles, whether of the Kingdom of Velys or the Valeria Empire, Kales had always maintained a principle of doubting first and doubting again. To casually trust their kindness, one had to be either a fool or a child unversed in the world.

"Captain Kales’s doubts, I can fully understand."

"If I put myself in your shoes, and encounter a similar situation, I’m afraid I might not even have Captain Kales’s decisiveness."

If not for Monica, the Saintess, secretly manipulating things, arranging pressure, and openly and covertly knocking and probing, this meeting truly wouldn’t have been so easily achieved.

As the wartime commander, Kales agreed to let the Empire’s leader enter the military formation, once that news returned to Seville City, that act alone would be enough to make him suffer, not to mention other potential impacts.

"You flatter me. Miss Astrid dared to enter the Holy City with only two people, your courage may not be less than mine."

"Even as an enemy, I truly admire this bravery of yours in risking your own life."

Both sides had come bearing enormous risk, which instead highlights how precious this talk was.

Listening to Astrid and Kales’s exchange, Lyra didn’t forget one of her reasons for coming. Her gaze shifted away from Astrid and landed on Monica at the side.

It was the same resonance she’d felt in the library of Elizabeth Academy of Magic, that familiar aura also existed on Monica.

Pure, warm, and carrying a hint of scorching heat, like blazing fire hidden underground.

The Holy Sword of Light at her waist seemed to sense the presence of the other half of a divinity and began to tremble slightly. Fortunately, Lyra’s control over the sacred sword was now exquisite; without spending much effort, she made it return to stillness.

"..."

Considering Kales was present, as well as Astrid’s repeated warnings before coming, Lyra didn’t rashly send mental power into it to try to connect to the holy relic. She merely, at the lowest level, sensed the aura of the veil in Monica’s hair.

No need to rush.

Time passed second by second. Aside from Monica occasionally interjecting a few lines, the main force at the negotiating table was left to Astrid and Kales alone.

"It seems Captain Kales is also unable to provide a reasonable explanation for parts of Lyra’s earlier speech."

"In that case, let us proceed to today’s main topic."

After verbally crushing Kales until he was in full retreat, Astrid interlaced her fingers, her tone low.

"We will show you the Lord’s true will."

"When the miracle descends, all lies will fade."

Forced to play the role of a prophet for half the day, spewing a pile of words that Astrid herself didn’t even believe, seeing the red-haired captain nod in recognition of the next steps, Astrid lightly swept up her silver hair, standing on straight legs, her slender heels tapping the floor as she turned and left the negotiating table.

The next stop was the temporary quarantine zone where the patients were. As long as she used [Surging Tide of Light] together with the ancient-language version of [Resonance Hymn of the Glorious Cathedral] to successfully heal the sick and complete this final step, then no matter how much Kales had hesitated in the past, he would have to face the truth.

In the face of this terrifying plague that had swept through the Kingdom of Velys, the Church of Light, who claimed to worship the Lord and carry out His will, was helpless. Yet the faithless outsiders hold the cure to save the world, rescuing the people as described in the holy scriptures.

They were no longer favored by the Lord; they had even completely deviated from His will and incurred divine punishment. If they wanted to restore their former glory, they had to set sail and return before they lost themselves completely.