Divine Kingship

Chapter 635 Karin Returns
Ellie was outside enjoying the night breeze when she ran into Olena and Elsa, who were also enjoying the night breeze.

“You knew about this a long time ago, didn’t you?” Ellie asked Elsa.

Elsa asked, "Are you referring to Lysa's identity as the goddess, or her lifestyle?"

Ellie covered her face: "It's just a lifestyle habit."

Ellie knew, of course, that Lysa was special and might have some strange hobbies; Lysa had even pretended to be Rand's chair before.

But Ellie never expected it to be this exaggerated.

“Yes, I stole things from her before.” Elsa nodded.

"Sigh, does Rand also have that kind of perverted hobby?" Ellie said with some worry.

"I... I don't think so..." Olena said softly. Discovering that a god had appeared in the family shocked Olena, and if Rand really had that kind of hobby, then they might be in trouble.

At that point, all we can do is hope that Rand goes easy on us.

"Sigh, I hope not." Ellie rested her chin on her hand, letting the wind blow through her.

It's already autumn, and the autumn breeze is cool and quite comfortable. Ellie, Elsa, and Olena are enjoying the night breeze together under the night sky, a rare moment of relaxation for them.

Ellie has been cared for by Olena since she was a child, and they have known Elsa for a long time. They were initially coerced, then volunteered to work for Rand, and have been through a lot together since then.

"So we've known each other for almost ten years now. I didn't expect that we've always had such a good relationship," Ellie exclaimed.

Although the family situation is strange now, everyone is actually easy to get along with, and the pressure on the matriarch is manageable.

"Thank you for your hard work." Elsa looked at Ellie with sympathy.

Ellie becoming the matriarch of the family was something everyone agreed on from the beginning, and no one had any complaints about Ellie's arrangements.

Now, everyone admires Ellie even more.

Now, the family doesn't just have a king; there's also the quirky goddess Lysa.

It's hard to imagine how Ellie will handle her current family relationships.

"Hey, stop looking at me with that pitying expression," Ellie glared at him.

Elsa looked away.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's talk about something else," Ellie changed the subject.

“I feel like I’m not far from breaking through to the King level,” Elsa said.

“Let’s change the subject.” Ellie glared at her again.

“Well then, I think we can renovate our bedroom and expand it a bit, since there are more people in the family now,” Olena said.

Ellie nodded: "That's true, we should find a chance to renovate."

"The Southern Plague is probably really caused by the Apostles of Calamity themselves. Has anything similar happened before? If so, how was it resolved?" Elsa asked.

Ellie and Olena are more knowledgeable, at least more so than Elsa when it comes to history.

“It has happened before. Heroes will be born in the world, and heroes will defeat evil. But to be honest, this time might be different. In the past, it was always the evil god himself who intervened, but now there is a plague as a medium. This time it might be very difficult,” Ellie said.

"Moreover, even heroes are not invincible. There have been instances where evil gods have triumphed while heroes have fallen, which marked the dark ages of the world."

"I hope the hero is strong enough, otherwise too many people will die, and Rand's century-long industrial plan will probably be delayed indefinitely," Elsa sighed.

The fact that the high-ranking members of the Holy Land were able to gather together indicates that they all, to varying degrees, endorsed Rand's ideals, and they certainly did not want Rand's development plan to be forced to stop.

"So, the hero may have already appeared. Has anyone suddenly become very powerful? Although it sounds arrogant to say this, it is possible that the hero is among us."

“No, everything seems normal,” Elsa said.

Olena also shook her head.

……

The three beauties chatted for a long time into the night.

Around midnight, Elsa suggested, "We probably won't be able to rest until tomorrow morning. How about we get some midnight snacks? Let me show you what I can cook."

“That sounds good, I’m really looking forward to it.” Ellie clapped her hands.

Elsa, as the champion of the second cooking competition, has very trustworthy culinary skills.

Elsa then quickly disappeared from the spot, caught a rabbit from the woods and a fresh fish from the river, and then brought Ellie and Olenna to the kitchen to start cooking.

The aroma appeared very quickly.

The three of them huddled around the stove, watching the food in the pot, with Olena and Ellie occasionally lending a hand.

The higher-ups of the Sanctuary were very familiar with the practice of preparing special meals for others. Rand also loved to eat delicious food and enjoyed making his own tasty dishes.

Olena and Ellie, while not as skilled at cooking as Elsa and Rand, have learned quite a bit from living together for so many years.

Therefore, now all the high-ranking members of the Holy Domain are highly skilled and receive special training.

After a while, footsteps could be heard outside.

It's Rand and Lysa.

"I knew I could smell something delicious. You guys were giving me special treatment," Rand laughed.

Rand waved the bag in his hand: "Fruits and vegetables, looks just right."

Subsequently, Rand and Lysa also joined the Little Kitchen camp.

At the beginning, the trio didn't ask Rand and Lysa why their noses were so sensitive that they could smell this.

After they made some space, they let Rand set up a stove and cook a meal.

With more people, we need to prepare more food.

Ryza, an elf who participated relatively little in the special training activities, also helped out a lot this time.

As a goddess, she could reach food from a great distance. Soon, she caught a small bird from somewhere and also gathered some crisp vegetables.

Adding to what was prepared at the beginning, it made for a very substantial late-night snack.

"Iron pots are really good things." After Rand and Elsa finished cooking, they washed the iron pot beforehand. The iron pot in Rand's hand was the first iron pot in the Holy Domain.

Rand invented this iron pot, and it's become quite popular now.

It was somewhat extravagant to use iron to make pots instead of weapons, armor, or farm tools.

However, it is true that cooking with an iron pot is healthier and tastes better, and slightly wealthier families can afford the cost of an iron pot.

In any case, restaurants in resorts usually prepare iron pots.

Then everyone was given a small bowl, and we started eating our midnight snack.

The drinks were fresh fruit juice, so overall it was quite relaxing.

After finishing their late-night snack, the group washed the pots and pans together and then went for a walk.

The night breeze was cool, and the group chatted idly, with Lysa occasionally uttering a word or two.

Although everyone was still a little nervous because of Ryza's identity, they relaxed a bit, after all, they had known Ryza for almost 10 years.

“Ms. Lysa, do you know the Hero?” Ellie asked.

Lysa shook her head: "I've met a few. It's not as mysterious as the legends say. It's just that when hardship and disaster strike, some talented and lucky people are willing to take up the banner and are then crowned with the name of heroes."

"It's not that the world's forces are completely influencing things, but their influence is very limited. In short, the world's forces are very inflexible."

“If we’re talking about heroes of our time, I think Luca from that Sunrise Adventurer Team is quite a possibility,” Lysa said, not trying to hide anything. “I’m very worried about the scale of this Southern Plague,” Rand said anxiously.

“This is something you can only do through your own efforts; there’s not much I can actually do to interfere,” Lysa said. “However, I’m now certain that the Cataclysmic Apostle will definitely get involved personally.”

"So, the opportunity to kill a god is right in front of us?"

Lysa glanced at Rand: "Maybe there really is a chance, we can give it a try."

"I hope fewer people die."

"It must be very difficult."

"What should we have for breakfast tomorrow?"

"I recommend crispy flatbread with spicy soup."

"What should we eat for lunch tomorrow?"

"Have some beef soup."

"What about tonight?"

"Eat Olena."

"what--"

……

Autumn of the 341st year of the Holy Calendar.

Before dawn.

Karin has arrived in the Old Holy City.

Karin spent her childhood and adolescence in and around the Old Holy City.

Those past memories have not faded; in fact, they have become clearer with each revisit.

The city walls remain majestic, but the most magnificent, tallest, and most ornate building in the city, the Torch Church Central Cathedral, is now a ruin.

The former Torch Pope had abandoned the Torch faith and was executed by Karin herself.

Of course, since both sides suffered heavy losses in that battle, and the central cathedral was reduced to ruins, the lower and middle classes of the old holy city of the Torch Church may not be very clear about the details of the event.

All they could see were ruins of the church, the former pope of the Torch Church reduced to corpses or ashes, and a large number of top-tier professionals in full fire-resistant gear.

Such terrifying power was enough to determine the fate of a nation, but it vanished in flames amidst the deafening explosion.

Many of the lower and middle classes in the old Holy City were unsure whether their Pope had fought against some evil god at that time, or whether they had faced the Holy Maiden.

All they knew was that Saint Karin Eldridge of the Torch Church had indeed not appeared in public since that period.

But today, in this historic and magnificent city, the saint has returned once again.

Of course, Karin did not come alone this time.

The sky rumbled loudly; it was the sound of three giant dragons passing through the clouds.

There was also the sound of flapping wings beside Karin; it was Rand's messenger, Crow Cola.

There is also a squad of Dragonblood Eagle Knights outside the city, who can provide support at any time.

It's hard to tell whether Karin's current fighting strength is stronger or weaker than it was in her prime.

Karin has now evolved into a dual form with a normal stance and a burst stance. The normal stance is slightly weaker than her peak form, but the burst stance is stronger than her peak form.

However, Karin had no way of knowing the specifics, since theoretically, the only person she could spar with was Berlan. If she were to spar with Berlan at full strength, the battle between the two kings would be impossible to conceal, and if she consumed too much physical strength and energy, the enemy might have an opportunity to take advantage of her.

But it doesn't matter. The old Holy City is definitely weaker now than it used to be, and Karin is no longer alone.

Karin made no attempt to conceal her arrival, so the Torch Church followers in the Old Holy City quickly spotted the blonde woman wearing a crown.

They knew that the Holy Maiden had arrived.

If not handled properly, it could be their doom.

Even when the Pope was still alive, the Holy Maiden, with her king-level combat power, was difficult to deal with, let alone now.

Although the old Holy City's retreating faction still exists, it's not very realistic for the Holy Maiden to kill them all.

But do they still have the resolve and courage to unite as one and fight against a king?
Soon, Karin arrived at the ruins of the central cathedral of the Torch Church, where there was a square where she used to execute evil and give speeches.

Karin had hoped that the blessings of the Torch Goddess would extend to all those who came to worship.

Of course, Karin later realized that those who were qualified to come on pilgrimage were either rare free citizens, nobles, or noble children.

Karin didn't walk fast from the city gate to the square, but no one dared to stop this beautiful blonde girl.

And so, Karin made her way to the square, where Crow Cola landed on a table high up in the square.

The autumn morning sun shone on the square and onto the saint's face.

Karin looked at the old holy city clergy who were surrounding her with great tension.

The clergy, weapons in hand, pointed at their saint; they were tense, or rather, terrified.

Karin observed the clergy of the old holy city; they didn't seem to be doing too badly.

After all, the cultists could never be completely eradicated, and the nearby nobles would always need materials from the Torch Church at some point.

This will generate transactions and profits.

The old holy city's divine staff believed in staying indoors, but basic profitable trading would not stop.

They simply no longer want to concern themselves with the overall situation in the world.

And I feel that the Torch Church should be a political entity, rather than a purely church organization.

The clergy of these old holy cities hope to wait until the world truly realizes the indispensability of the Torch Church.

They used the unique power of the Torch Church to fight against evil to coerce the world and gain power.

If Rand hadn't appeared, the world might have truly become riddled with holes.

However, these passive Torch Church members are unlikely to gain power, and even if the world falls into trouble, no one will believe that they can save the world.

Karin didn't come here to pardon these heretics.

She removed her crown and opened her eyes.

Everyone who came to the square was trembling; they felt as if they were being burned.

Some wanted to escape, some wanted to rebel, but all they could do was tremble.

At this moment, Karin was like a blazing sun, capable of turning everything to scorched earth at any moment.

Everyone who faced her felt as if their bodies were immersed in lava, even though many of them had no idea what lava was.

Karin was in a completely different situation than Rand was now watching over them through the Crow Cola.

The gentle, unkind Karin seemed to have completely vanished at this moment.

"Heretics, cowards, now I need your obedience; this is your only way to atone for your sins."

"Obey me, or die."

Karin certainly couldn't kill all these people, but at this moment, no one doubted the weight of her words.

(End of this chapter)