In a dense forest in the southern part of the continent, two carriages and a team of knights were moving along the road in the forest. The trees here were extremely tall, and the treetops were connected at a height of 20 to 30 meters. Looking from below, it looked like a green dome, and the tree trunks were the pillars below, supporting a huge hall.
This is the Green Wall Forest where the southeast branch of the Temple of Nature is located, and sitting in the carriage is the current ruler of the kingdom, Queen Laura.
Queen Laura leaned out of the carriage and looked at the green sky above. The feeling of not being able to see the sky made her even more depressed. The current war with the rebels has reached a desperate stage.
The city of Bavaria has fallen. The main commander on the western front, Duke Hoval of Rock Castle, is trapped in his main city, Rock Castle. The war in the north with the empire is still in a stalemate. In the south, Count Carlos' daughter Serinda has captured the city of Lagos. The head of Duchess Josefina has been sent to the royal capital. As long as they cross the territory of one more duke, Serinda's army will be able to reach the city.
Queen Laura could not see any other possibility to change the situation of the war, so she could only use her last plan and ask the Temple of Nature to send troops.
She once visited the chief priest of the royal capital, Priest Roland, but Priest Roland refused her request for the Temple of Nature to send troops to help the kingdom.
Roland's reason was that the Temple of Nature would remain neutral in this war and did not want to interfere in the war between mortal countries. But Queen Laura knew that this was all nonsense. Roland's priests of the present-world faction had a strange tacit understanding with Xiao Chen and others' Tower of China. So Roland would naturally not go against Count Carlos, who was an ally of the Tower of China.
Since it was impossible to cooperate with the priests of the secular sect, Queen Laura had to ask for help from the divine sect.
This natural temple located in the southeast of the empire belongs to the sphere of influence of the Divine Sect. Queen Laura had sent an envoy before, and the temple gave a positive response and arranged a very important meeting for him. It was so important that Queen Laura had to go there in person, first through the teleportation array to the nearby city, and then take a carriage and go deep into the forest to the temple.
"Although the forest here is a bit depressing, it is much better than seeing those dejected guys." Princess Laura leaned out and took a deep breath, feeling a refreshing breath seeping into her body. At this moment, the anxiety and fear that tormented her every day seemed to be temporarily far away from her. She returned to the carriage and whispered, "Teacher, if we really lose in the end, can I find my home in a place like this?"
Master Salmeron sat opposite her, holding a sword in his hand. There were only the two of them in the carriage. Hearing this, he activated the soundproofing array on the carriage, shook his head slowly and said, "Your Majesty, given the current situation, it is normal for you to have such thoughts, but you should not show it. As a king, you must understand how many people around you will be affected by your emotions. Their fighting spirit depends on your firmness, and their strength comes from your confidence. Therefore, the most unacceptable trait of a king is weakness. A weak king will become a sacrifice in the power struggle, and a weak dynasty is like building on sand."
Queen Laura said, "I'm sorry, teacher, I didn't mean it. It's just that the situation these days has forced me to think about this. What I just said may be a good one among many possibilities.
Every day when I was in a daze, every night when I was asleep, there would be much more terrible scenes appearing in my mind. To drive away these images, I had to think of something.
But it seems too unrealistic to expect a big victory, and often there will be some tragic battle reports handed to me immediately, knocking me from my beautiful imagination to the tragic reality. Do you know how terrible this feeling is
On the contrary, sometimes thinking about this not-so-tragic ending is actually a kind of relaxation for me.”
Salmeron sighed and said, "Your Majesty, it is because we are so useless that you are in such trouble."
Laura shook her head and said, "No, teacher, this is not your fault. I made all those decisions in the end. If anyone can be blamed for these things, it is me. These days I have been recalling what my father told me. When he was dying, he told me that the king was a person who dealt with messes all day long. I thought it was nonsense he said when he was dying. I will definitely manage the country better than him. After all, the crazy things he did to prolong his life are things I absolutely disdain to do.
But now I gradually realize that sitting on the throne is not just a mess, it is like being in a pile of mud, unable to get out, unable to sink, and suffering all kinds of torment every day. If it weren't for the loyal people like you who accompanied me, I might not know how to persevere. "
“Your Majesty, I believe this meeting with the Saint will change the situation. Saint Fahs is one of the three most powerful people in the Temple of Nature. He is the only banner of the God’s Advent Sect after Gibran’s death. But... I don’t know what price he will ask us to pay.”
"He is interested in me because the Divine Advent Sect needs secular power," Queen Laura said. "I am ready to sacrifice anything, including myself."
"Your Majesty! Don't think so."
"Teacher, what's the big deal? So many people have died on the battlefield. What can't I pay for my title, my reputation, even my soul and body? If this is true, I would feel fortunate. I'm afraid the real price will be far greater than this."
Queen Laura paused and said, "Since our ancestors founded this country, we have always excluded the power of the temple from the rule of the kingdom. We respect the gods of nature, but we do not associate any important occasions of the empire with the temple. Whether it is the kingdom's sacrifices, the victory of war, or various celebrations and festivals, they all have their own set of customs. Under such influence, for hundreds of years, most people in the kingdom do not have such a deep belief in God. On the contrary, they are more willing to obey the orders of the royal family. But this time... This time, I really don't know what it will become. This may be the sorrow of the weak."
(To be continued)