In the Name of the Queen

Ahhh!

The brain is shaking!

In a secret room, Intelligence Director Rupert held his head tightly, his eyes were red, his whole body was shaking, and his eyes were completely crazy.

Not long ago, he "accidentally" fell before leaving the Vatican Palace, and the small button in his pocket fell into an unnoticed corner.

This small button looks ordinary, but it is a magic device excavated from ancient ruins.

Its function is very simple, eavesdropping.

Rupert doesn't think there is anything wrong with doing this.

He is the director of the Intelligence Bureau, and his duty is to provide the Queen with the most accurate intelligence.

As the head of the intelligence department, how could he be absent from the grand scene of the meeting of the three emperors.

Unfortunately, the level of this meeting was too high, and he was ordered to leave, and could only use this not-so-glorious method to obtain intelligence.

He could swear to the lamp that it was definitely not because of the occupational disease developed from years of running the Sun, nor was it because the gossip soul in his body was burning.

This button opened his eyes.

Rupert's worldview was about to be shattered.

What happened to the high-level dialogue between the emperors? Why is it like a few willful girls fighting for toys?

He listened to it over and over again, and his brain was almost burned out. Only then did he sort out the relationship between the women's disputes.

Christine's interests were the simplest.

She could not accept the compromise peace that excluded the Wende Empire from the new world order. The reason why she worked for Roland was also simple, the restoration of the Wende Empire and her struggle for power within the Court of Light.

There must be a certain degree of tacit understanding between her and Roland, and this tacit understanding was broken when Roland and Sophia discussed the compromise conditions.

So she got angry and jumped out to disrupt the peace talks.

Another simple woman is Lisa.

Her brain seemed to be deposited in Roland, and she followed whatever Roland said.

Rupert was silent for a moment, and held the button-shaped receiver in his hand, with a little more helplessness in his eyes.

Not only Lisa, but that Alina seemed to be the same.

Even Queen Sylph.

No, no, he shouldn't presume to speculate about the only surviving queen of the elves.

Rupert quickly dispelled this bold idea and continued to think about the words and deeds of others.

Roland's lack of bottom line did not surprise him. He was even surprised that Roland did not make any attempt to save the situation after the negotiation broke down.

Roland had more bottom line than he thought in this high-end game of queens tearing each other apart.

The only person who couldn't understand was Sophia.

Her invitation to Roland to be prime minister for five years sounded real, and she even made a lot of concessions.

Sylph asked Sophia if she wanted to use her as a stepping stone. Sophia did not answer directly, but ridiculed her with the metaphors often used by the Ruriks.

Sophia asked Sylph to look in the mirror not to avoid the topic, but to express her attitude.

Go look in the mirror, can you be my stepping stone?

Sophia doesn't need a stepping stone at all.

When the day of return comes, she will naturally break through, and even break through to a jaw-dropping degree.

In this meeting, she didn't even have much killing intention.

If Christine hadn't provoked her strongly, she probably wouldn't have taken action.

With Sophia's personality, she doesn't seem to care about other people's feelings. So she must have other reasons for not going all out.

All the information about Sophia flashed through Rupert's mind quickly, and after a careful logical analysis, he came to a surprising conclusion.

In addition to making the Vladimir Empire strong, Sophia's behavior did not have a very clear goal.

Even the goal of making the Vladimir Empire great was just a stop on her road to becoming a strong man.

If Sophia's mentality could be accurately grasped, maybe there would be a turnaround?

Rupert still had lingering fears about the result of a head-on conflict with Sophia.

Roland, Sif and others were all outstanding among the seventh-level extraordinary people, and ordinary seventh-level extraordinary people were not their opponents at all.

Even when facing the secluded strong and the seeded players carefully cultivated by the extraordinary family, they had a high chance of winning.

However, they were so embarrassed when facing Sophia.

Relying on force to fight Sophia is the worst choice.

Rupert is indeed a professional intelligence officer. He analyzed all the intelligence and formed a secret report in a short time.

He did not intend to hide anything from Sif.

The intelligence chief can never make decisions on behalf of the monarch. He knows it clearly.

Sif will not mind eavesdropping, but will not forgive concealment and self-assertion.

Rupert stayed up all night and finally wrote the secret report in the early morning of the next day. He knocked on the door of Sif's temporary office on time at 8 o'clock in the morning.

"Come in." A tired voice came from inside.

Rupert was not surprised. Who can sleep well when such a big thing happens?

Pushing open the office door, looking at Sif who was facing the window in a daze, letting the breeze blow the ends of her hair, Rupert coughed lightly and whispered:

"Your Majesty, I collected some latest intelligence yesterday, please take a look."

Sif did not look back, but just raised her right hand casually, and her slender fingertips picked up a "button".

There was no emotion in her gentle voice, "Is this what you dropped?"

"Yes." Rupert answered quickly. For some reason, he felt a little flustered. Although Sif's attitude was gentle, he still felt a chill on his back.

Sif flicked her finger and the "little button" flew towards Rupert.

At the moment Rupert raised his hand to catch the bug, Sif's voice became a little lower.

"Put the report on the table, you can go."

"Yes, sir." Rupert thought Sif would ask some questions after reading the report, but he didn't expect that she would ask him to leave directly. He didn't dare to disobey her order, and didn't explain. He picked up the button and left.

Just as he was about to leave the room, Sif said softly: "Rupert, I am very satisfied with your work ability and loyalty, but please restrain yourself from some occupational diseases that are not related to intelligence personnel."

A layer of sweat inexplicably appeared on Rupert's forehead. He didn't dare to wipe the sweat, but just replied in a trembling voice:

"I, I, yes!"

He wanted to explain, but thinking of Sif's style of doing things, he held it back.

Perhaps because she felt that her attitude was a bit stiff and was afraid of chilling the hearts of loyal ministers, Sif said softly:

"Rupert, the era of elves has ended. Even if the descendants of the tribe return, they must recognize the reality. This is an era of a new era, and the old tribe is just a foil."

"I will lead the tribe to the end, but they can't immerse themselves in the glory of the past."

Rupert had already confessed to Sif the reason for his loyalty, and Sif did not hide his identity.

She was once the general of the elves and the last descendant of the royal family. Under the premise that all other royal family members had died, she was the highest-ranking heir.

After Roland's recognition, all the living sages (Roland alone) recognized her.

She also became the queen with the highest support rate in the history of the elves by accident.

Because of her extremely high support rate, she also gained many benefits that her predecessors had never had. She did not intend to avoid her identity, nor would she shirk her responsibilities.

Although Rupert was a little self-willed, he was loyal and commendable. Sif never cared about his absurd reports and gossip.

But the past was the past, and the present is now.

Looking at Rupert's lost eyes, Sif had an idea and thought of a way to comfort him.

"Rupert, if you want explosive sales, I suggest you consider writing about a tyrant queen who was lonely and had nowhere to go after being neglected by her husband and had countless lovers."

"How to grasp the scale, you are a professional, you can decide for yourself."

Rupert didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to bow and leave.

Sif's meaning was very clear. If you like gossip? Go find Sophia. If you don't dare, then it's a matter of position.

Her words also indirectly showed her attitude. She wanted to fight Sophia head-on.

After the confrontation in the hall, Sif completely gave up the possibility of reconciliation with Sophia.

Borrow Roland for five years?

Pah!

Sophia is a very willful person. She often makes decisions based on her personal likes and dislikes.

High EQ means true temperament, low EQ means intermittent mental illness.

And her promises may not be fulfilled.

She once killed someone before the other party came to her to fulfill the promise in order not to break the contract. The person who promised died, so there was naturally no such thing as breaking the contract.

Sending Roland over was a standard act of aiding the enemy. There was no benefit except exposing one's weakness.

Sif knew Roland best. He had the ability to turn decay into magic. Let him go, not to mention five years, even five months can bring about earth-shaking changes.

What if Sophia, a woman in the boudoir, got greedy?

This possibility is small but not zero. Sif felt chilled when she thought of this possibility.

Absolutely not!

Sif thought of what Roland had said more than once, that only peace gained through struggle is true peace, and peace gained through begging is like sand sculptures on the beach, which disappears with a wave.

Sif casually checked the intelligence prepared by Rupert and flipped through it casually.

She didn't have much expectation for Rupert's intelligence, but she frowned after seeing the analysis.

She didn't care much about Rupert's other analysis, but the last suggestion made her heart tremble.

"Christine is on Sophia's must-kill list, and she is a fanatic. If necessary, she can be cut off in exchange for compromise."

Sif was stunned, sighed lightly, tore up the intelligence, burned it, and let it turn into ashes.

To be fair, her relationship with Christine was pretty good. She even suggested to Roland that Christine join the soul-blood link to fill the last vacancy.

She even fantasized that Roland's charm could overwhelm the illusory Goddess of Light.

After all, what the Goddess of Light can give is very empty, while what Roland gives is very real.

But after yesterday, she really had to be thankful that she didn't drag Christine into it.

Christine's piety is a bit crazy even among fanatics.

At a time when the identity of the saint is about to be ruined, Christine is definitely an outlier. She is really not interested in men and is devoted to the goddess.

Yesterday she dared to challenge Sophia head-on, and I dare not imagine what she can do tomorrow.

If the Goddess of Light gave an oracle to let her murder Roland, would she hesitate?

There is no doubt that she is determined to execute the oracle, she will not even hesitate for a second.

Thinking of a time bomb hidden around her, and she almost took the bomb home as a holy elephant, Sif felt creepy.

She couldn't sit still, she had to find Roland.

Roland is good at everything, but he is easy to be soft-hearted to the people around him.

This is the case with taking in Alina, and it is also the case with making use of Christine.

He used his sincerity to get a generous reward from Alina, so he wanted to replicate all this with Christine.

However, Sif was still late.

When she found Roland's bedroom, the maid told her that he had been accompanying Christine last night.

Sif had been sleepless in the office last night.

Christine struggled in pain all night last night.

Roland spent a painful night with the Saint.

Anyway, they are very busy.

Sif was silent for a moment and gave up the idea of ​​going to Roland and Christine.

There are some things that should happen that cannot be avoided after all. It is better to go to Alina. She may be able to see something different.

When Sif found Alina, she was sitting in front of the card table in a daze, with hundreds of cards placed in disorder on the card table in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Sif couldn't help but ask.

Alina did not clear the card table, but stood up with her hands on the table, smiling and making a gesture of invitation.

"I had insomnia last night and played cards all night. Before I could clean up, I made you laugh. Come and have a cup of tea with me."

Sif did not refuse Alina's invitation, and the two of them went to the living room outside and sat down one after another.

The puppet maid brought over fragrant tea and snacks and quickly left.

Sif glanced at the golem, picked up the teacup and took a sip, and said with a smile: "I was going to ask you to help with divination, but I didn't expect you to be busy all night. I'd better come another day."

"We've come, let's just do it today."

Alina quickly put a piece of pastry into her mouth, used sugar to replenish her energy, and asked with a smile:

"I am in a special ethereal state right now. I will be completely exhausted due to excessive exhaustion in an hour at most. If you want to divine, this is the best time."

Friends who often stay up all night know that they tend to be particularly excited when they have just finished an all nighter, and will be extremely exhausted after this period of excitement.

Alina was not talking nonsense. In fact, many diviners would take a shower and change clothes and then mess around all night before starting to officially start fortune telling early the next morning.

Seeing Alina's sincere attitude, Sif stopped being pretentious and asked softly: "What do you think of Christine? There's no need to speak in official terms, I want to hear what's in my heart."

"How should I put it? I'm a little worried about her mental state."

Alina said softly: "Miss Christine is a contradictory person. On the battlefield, she can ruthlessly abandon unnecessary chess pieces and obtain the greatest victory at the smallest cost. But outside the battlefield, she is a clean-minded and helpful person. people.”

"If you put aside her military talents, she is a textbook standard saint. Unlike those speculators who become less religious the closer they get to the altar, her faith is very pious."

Alina's words touched Sif's heart. She raised her eyebrows and said softly:

"Sophia is moody and very dangerous. I don't agree with compromise, but I never thought about breaking up like Christine. What do you think she is thinking?"

"One point goes to the Wende Empire, and nine points goes to the Holy Palace of Light."

Alina said categorically: "She may feel guilty about Roland, but she will do it again if she is given a chance to do it again."

Sif frowned slightly, Alina's reminder was something she didn't expect.

She originally thought that Christine was provoking Sophia impulsively, which may not be her true intention.

Now think about it, the impulse is a real impulse, and the original intention is also the original intention.

"Do you still want to do divination?" Alina reminded softly.

"Yes, as long as it doesn't affect you." Sif said softly.

"Don't worry. Although the objects of our observation are devout believers, they are not the goddess herself or an unobservable person, so they will not be backlashed."

Alina took another sip of tea and brought Sif to the card table.

This kind of divination is so simple for Alina that she can introduce the pros and cons of the two divination systems of angel cards and tarot cards to Sif while laying out the cards, as well as the reasons why she chose angel cards.

Sif did not interrupt Alina's show off, but listened silently and occasionally praised her.

Since Alina's mental state is so relaxed, it seems that divination is not difficult.

In fact, she didn't want to know much, she just wanted to know the explosive power of this bomb.

After all, Christine is the commander-in-chief of the alliance. As long as she can still make do with it, she will not dare to change her generals on the spot.

It took a lot of effort to get the coalition forces together to achieve combat effectiveness. To change the commander at this time would be to cut one's head off.

The divination quickly came to an end and the moment was revealed.

The milky white light that represents the direction of destiny is getting brighter and brighter, which means that Christine's destiny is also very clear.

All Alina had to think about next was how to interpret the divination results in an easy-to-understand riddle.

She closed her eyes tightly and reached out with her fair and delicate hands to catch the thread of fate in the air.

With a silent grab, she accurately grasped the thread of fate.

She opened her eyes.

Sif was not in front of her, the card table was not in front of her, nothing was there, there was only a white holy light in front of her.

Alina was shocked. This was a divination result she had never heard of.

The result of divination is either that the divination is successful and the direction of destiny is touched; or that the divination is invalid and nothing happens; or the divination fails and the diviner is betrayed.

She had never heard of a divination being teleported to an unknown space.

Just when she panicked, one eye opened in the endless light.

Alina's whole body was instantly distracted. She stared blankly at this eye, and her whole body was so limp that she couldn't muster any strength.

Just when she was almost desperate, the eyes in the light just looked at her kindly, inducing her to fall asleep.

Alina gradually fell into a trance, as if she was in a hot spring, and there was a silent call in her ears.

"Sleep, kid, this is not your domain."

Sif hugged Alina who fell softly, her face changed with fear.

"Alina, Alina, what's wrong with you, don't scare me!"

She rushed into the bedroom with Alina in her arms, and hurriedly put Alina, who was sleeping, on the bed.

Fortunately, Alina looked good, her breathing was even, her heartbeat was strong, and there was no sign of injury anywhere on her body.

After waiting for a while but no sign of Alina waking up, Sif gritted her teeth and was forced to use Insight on her.

Insight, start!

Beads of sweat continued to appear on Sif's forehead. She usually used insight just to see if there was any hostility, but this time she took it seriously. She wanted to see if Alina was okay.

Under the observation of Insight Vision, Alina's body looked like translucent jelly.

Signs of life are very stable.

Mental state is very stable.

Exhaustion levels are cutting back.

Uh, it seems like nothing happened, just fell asleep?

Sif breathed a sigh of relief, called Alina's puppet maid, gave some instructions and left.

She suddenly wasn't in the mood to go find Roland and Christine.

Sophia's arrival, Christine's rage, the battle in the hall, the failure of divination, everything was a little unexpected, making her a little more confused about the future.

When Sif fell into confusion, Roland was also suffering.

He was very worried about Christine's condition and insisted on accompanying her last night, but she claimed that she was fine and wouldn't let him accompany her.

Roland, who had always respected the people around him, was very stubborn this time and insisted on staying.

Kristine bit her lip and sat on the edge of the bed to take off her coat. Roland turned around and didn't look, but refused to leave, plausibly justifying his behavior.

"You are the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. I cannot bear the consequences of your accident."

Seeing Roland being such a rogue, Christine was so angry that she couldn't say a word. She simply handed the bandage and holy water bottle to Roland.

"If you are so worried, come and treat me."

Facing Christine's clear eyes and thin underwear, Roland had no choice but to give in.

He found the nuns from the Temple of Light to treat Christine.

This guy is always so stubborn and only accepts treatment from nuns of his own sect, and does not recognize any doctors or pagan priests.

Fortunately, the nun was proficient in healing skills and helped Christine bandage the wound and apply holy water to the wound to speed up healing.

After finishing the matter, the nun tactfully reminded Roland not to disturb the saint's rest, but Roland waved her away and sent her away.

Christine was seriously injured, and due to the fatigue of the battle, she fell asleep very quickly.

When she woke up again, Roland was the only one sitting by the bed in a daze.

Seeing Christine sitting up in single clothes, Roland took the initiative to turn around to avoid suspicion.

The saintly lady put on her clothes silently, and a cold voice sounded from behind.

"Roland, if you have a clear mind, you don't need to avoid too many things. God said."

Hearing Christine's steady voice, Roland was both happy and worried.

Fortunately, Christine has recovered well, but sadly, this guy's spirit is still not normal.

Roland turned around and was stunned for a moment.

Christine was wearing thin clothes and did not put on a coat.

This dress is very subtle.

Call it exposed, covering everything that should be covered; call it conservative, covering nothing except what should be covered.

Roland's cheeks were slightly red and he was about to turn around.

If it were another woman, he wouldn't mind looking at her a few more times, but he respected Christine.

Unlike those coquettish bitches who use the name of a saint but secretly seduce men, Christine is completely worthy of the name of a saint.

She has devout faith, outstanding strength, and a beautiful and approachable appearance.

At least it had before last night.

Roland couldn't help but glance at Christine's injury with his peripheral vision.

The wound on her chest was bandaged very tightly, but judging from the ups and downs of the bandage, she, who was not wealthy, lost the last hill in yesterday's storm.

For girls who love beauty, this is indeed a big blow.

But Kristine didn't seem to care. Her expression was extremely calm, and there was no sign of forcing herself to remain calm.

Clearly, she doesn't care.

"It is a woman's sacred duty to give birth to offspring. If I were not a pure saint, I might not reject becoming a mother, but I am."

Christine's voice was particularly clear, "These scars are my medals. Well, I won't have to corset my chest when wearing armor in the future."

Roland's voice was stuck in his throat and he couldn't say a word.

Kristine's provocation to Sophia cut off the road to compromise. He was not too angry, but a little annoyed that she had taken matters into her own hands.

I originally planned to teach her a lesson, but looking at her current state, I couldn't say anything.

Fortunately, the scar on the face is very minor and has little impact. It will probably recover after a while of nursing.

While Roland was thinking wildly, Christine laughed.

"Do you think I'm disfigured?"

"I just feel a little sorry. After all, this is a beautiful face that can be called a work of art." Roland couldn't think of a lie, so he had to tell the truth.

"Don't regret it, I got the scar and the stigmata at the same time."

Christine pointed her slender fingers at the scar on her cheek and said with a smile: "You should study the Canon of Light carefully. The Canon records the badges used by the goddess before entering the divine realm."

"A simplified version of the badge of light, exactly consistent with my scars."

"Ah?" Roland froze on the spot. He couldn't believe it. He simply reached out and grabbed the void, and a Light Book came in front of him.

As his accumulation on the Path of the Knowledge continues to increase, Roland has more and more books stored in the Void Library.

After all, he is a Knight of Light. Even if he doesn't have time to read the scriptures, he still needs to keep a copy.

Christine took the book from Roland and skillfully turned to the book that recorded the deeds of the Goddess of Light spreading light in the Theia plane before entering the divine domain.

The simplified emblem of the emblem of light is indeed consistent with the scars on Christine's face.

"This is not disfigurement, but the best reward for piety."

Christine whispered: "If you don't believe it, you can go to Sif and ask the magic mirror if my feminine charm has decreased."

After Christine's reminder, Roland carefully observed her face and imagined the appearance of these scars gradually fading in his mind.

Perhaps it was a psychological effect, or perhaps it was the effect of the emblem of light engraved in his mind, Roland gradually accepted Christine's statement.

It's not disfigurement, it's a holy mark.

Seeing that Roland was no longer entangled, Christine put on her coat, crossed her hands on her chest, and bowed to him.

"I'm sorry, I took the initiative to disrupt the peace talks, please punish me."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Roland stared at her with dissatisfaction, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect to compromise with Sophia. This person has always only recognized swords. Unless you can defeat her, who can reason with her?"

"Your approach is just to speed up the process. If you really want to make up, then do your best to help me win this battle."

Roland restrained his smile and his expression gradually became serious. "Sophia's strength is indeed very strong. I have to focus all my energy on how to become stronger. I'll leave the military side to you."

Christine looked at Roland with complicated eyes and whispered softly: "Roland, promise me that you will believe in light, okay? You have never touched the power of the goddess, and you don't know the power of the great god at all. I..."

"I believe it!" Roland said firmly.

If the goddess is not an enemy of me, he added silently in his heart.

Unexpectedly, Roland was so straightforward. Christine couldn't believe her ears. Endless surprise burst out of her eyes, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Really, really?"

"Absolutely sincere. If I break my promise, I am willing to face the wrath of the goddess."

Roland's expression was extremely pious, and his eyes were as firm as if he was joining the party.

His oath was very real. If he betrayed the light, he would indeed become the enemy of the goddess.

Seeing Christine was speechless with surprise, Roland smiled and teased: "Christine, I am the key to restarting the Holy Spring of Light after all, and I am the one favored by the goddess. If I have no fate with light, how can I do it."

Christine's thoughts flew back to a few years ago.

When she started the ritual of reviving the Holy Spring of Light, because of insufficient power, Irene took advantage of the opportunity and took away half of the merits.

Luckily, there was Roland, otherwise the ritual would definitely fail.

Since Roland was destined to light, it was natural for him to join the Court of Light.

Seeing Christine's happy look, Roland lowered his voice and said, "In fact, I have always been devoted to light, but I have some selfish thoughts. I want you to introduce me to the church."

"Then let's start now."

Christine wanted to immediately pull Roland to pray to the goddess statue and complete the initiation ceremony, but Roland is now Caesar, the vice emperor, and the ceremony should be presided over by the cardinal or even the pope.

She is not a formal saint yet, and her rank is only bishop-level. It is somewhat contemptuous for her to organize the ceremony for Roland.

Even if Roland doesn't care, she will never allow it.

Christine stretched out her right fist and said softly, "Is this an agreement or a promise?"

"It's a hope." Roland also stretched out his right fist and put it together with Christine's fist.

"Christine, the believer, hereby makes an agreement with Roland, the Knight of Light, to hold an initiation ceremony for him when I become a saint."

Roland really wanted to cover Christine's mouth to stop her from talking, but it was too late.

This guy spoke at an alarming speed, and raised a shocking flag.

Roland had to comfort himself in a self-deprecating way, at least it was not a flag that would kill him, such as returning to his hometown to get married after the war.

After talking with Christine for a while, seeing that she was a little tired, Roland said goodbye and left.

Before leaving, he mentioned that a kind of ginkgo nectar recorded in the elf classics could remove scars, and he was willing to find a way to help Christine remove the facial scars.

As for the scars on the chest, magic probably couldn't do anything, and technology could only be used as a cushion.

Roland's suggestion was very good, but Christine still politely asked him not to suggest it again.

It can be seen that she was not joking, but really regarded the scars as holy marks.

This is what devout believers are like. If you don't want to listen, you won't listen.

Roland chose to seek common ground while reserving differences very flexibly and respect Christine's choice.

Walking out of the prayer room of the saint lady, he couldn't help but curl his lips. Holy marks? This is simply brainwashing yourself.

The first thing he did when he returned to Hansa was to find Sif to check the ranking of the magic mirror.

He just didn't believe it. Could Christine's ranking still rise?

After watching Roland leave, Christine's lips slightly raised, with a bit of smile.

Roland is indeed the best friend and leader, but it's a pity that he has no faith in his heart, like a boat drifting in the river of fate, struggling hard but not knowing where to go.

He definitely doesn't believe that this is the stigmata, it doesn't matter, she has plenty of time to make him understand.

Just a few minutes ago, the goddess's magnificent voice sounded in the depths of her soul, telling her the answer.

This is the stigmata.