[Vol. 9] Chapter 100: The Prophecy of World Destruction
“You know very well that Her Highness has always been lazy by nature. Even though she has great talent and wisdom, she’s never liked getting involved in political struggles. But now that the situation is unstable and the previous war has caused great damage to the Empire, with countless internal and external troubles, there are just too many messes that need to be handled. Her Highness has no choice but to take action.”
“Haha… that’s true.”
To be honest, the situation in the Austre Empire was indeed far from optimistic. Even before Leonis started that great war, there were already problems beginning to show, with the dragonkin, the Eastern Sea, and even with Sainz, the “nation within the nation.” Because of that, Leonis chose to use war as a way to shift people’s focus and gamble the Austre Empire’s fate on a future victory.
For Austre Empire, a nation that rose through war and possessed unmatched military power, this seemed like a workable plan. Winning a war could bring great wealth and intimidate those with hidden ambitions. Throughout the Empire’s history, similar situations had occurred several times, and those emperors had also solved their problems this way, expanding their territory step by step to create today’s vast Empire.
So, Leonis’s choice wasn’t exactly wrong. The only difference was that his predecessors won, while he… lost.
Winners become kings, losers are just defeated, that’s all there is to it.
The Goddess Church faced the so-called “strongest army in the world” head-on and proved to everyone that the mighty lion, once thought invincible, could indeed be beaten. Even without mentioning the heavy economic cost of the war, the mere weakening of the Austre Empire’s military reputation was enough to make many of its previously loyal races begin to waver again.
Although the massive invasion by the World Sustainers later forced the world to unite against a common enemy, and although Xiluo, upon taking the throne, followed Carinvega’s advice to quickly make peace and reduce the war’s negative effects on the Austre Empire as much as possible, there were still far too many problems left for the new ruler to solve.
That was why, right after his coronation, Xiluo immediately appointed Carinvega as the Equal King to help govern the country. The Austre Empire was already on the verge of breaking apart, he desperately needed the wisdom, or rather the fate, of the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus].
Perhaps, in a sense, this very situation was the most favorable one for Carinvega, who had never wanted to be emperor in the first place. Fate had already quietly woven its web of cause and effect. It’s just that no one within it could truly notice.
Seeing that the conversation was finally moving in the right direction, Violet quietly sighed in relief. She lifted her teacup, took a small sip, and gave Tina a meaningful look.
Understanding the signal, Tina stepped forward and began to explain what had happened on Icefang Island. As expected, Gladys quickly became serious, her expression growing slightly tense as she listened.
“I’ve heard some news about that. When I left the capital, Her Highness warned me that the Northern Region was becoming unstable, and that something big might happen soon. Looking at it now, it seems she was completely right, her Highness truly foresaw it.”
“Oh?”
Hearing the topic she’d been waiting for, Violet instantly perked up with interest.
She knew better than anyone how “accurate” Carinvega’s foresight really was, that woman predicting the future was a joke. But because she possessed the power of Fate, her every word and action could subtly influence the course of events toward her direction. That was why people believed that the [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus] was blessed with divine foresight and unmatched wisdom.
From a certain point of view, this could already be considered a kind of power of words becoming reality, though it worked in a rather subtle and passive way. Even Carinvega herself couldn’t fully control the tangled web of cause and effect behind it. For example, her eventual position as the Equal King of the Empire was the result of countless intertwined causes, far too complex to explain in just a few sentences.
Casually, the priestess tapped her finger lightly on the table and said, seemingly without much thought,
“Speaking of which, I still don’t quite understand, if Carinvega is so busy, why did she send so many of you all the way to the North?”
Even Tina didn’t know the answer to this question, it was clearly classified information not meant to be shared. But since Violet had deliberately mentioned that the mission was ordered by “a certain imperial princess,” the nature of the question subtly changed. Even if Gladys decided not to answer, it wouldn’t make things awkward.
But to Violet’s surprise, the knight girl didn’t seem to think this was something that needed to be kept secret. In fact, a faint look of surprise flashed across her bold, beautiful face.
“Wait, Miss Violet hasn’t heard about it?”
“Uh… heard about what?”
“Well, maybe you don’t really pay attention to political matters, but since it’s you, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. About three months ago, the Austre Empire and the Holy Empire led a large peace meeting, over ten countries took part. It was held in the border Purple Mist City, located in the buffer zone between both sides. You’ve probably at least heard about that, right?”
The priestess nodded. “I’ve heard a little.”
That negotiation, though initiated by the two major powers, had mainly happened because of the World Sustainers launching large-scale invasions across nations. With so much chaos, none of the countries could afford to keep fighting each other, so they were forced to compromise.
Violet hadn’t really cared about all that political wrangling, but she had heard that after several days of discussion, the countries finally signed a treaty known as the Purple Mist Pact, agreeing to a full ceasefire and troop withdrawal.
If she remembered correctly, the Empire had sent Carinvega herself as its official representative and Gladys had gone with her. Could there have been something else that happened there?
As if reading Violet’s thoughts, the young knight gave a small nod.
“During that meeting, something rather strange happened.”
“When the Purple Mist Pact was about to be signed, nearly every country’s delegate attended in person to show their sincerity. But right at that moment, a black cat somehow slipped through all the layers of defense and suddenly appeared in the middle of the hall. And in front of everyone, it spoke.”
“A black cat?”
The priestess raised an eyebrow.
“What did it say?”
“It was… something like a prophecy.”
Gladys’s expression turned a bit strange, as if she herself didn’t quite believe it, but for some reason, she still had to take it seriously.
“It said, ‘The wave that will destroy the world shall come from the North. This time, not even the hand of God can stop it. The races of the world must gather all their strength before the storm and snow, to face the returning tide. Otherwise, extinction is already at hand.’”
“Oh~?”
Even the well-traveled priestess couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at that. Whether true or not, such words were far too extreme, and if they were ever spread publicly, the panic they would cause was surely something no ruler in the world would ever want to see.