After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Lalumia put on an innocent expression. Faced with Lalumia's innocent yet irrefutable words, Theresa simply gritted her teeth and gently took Yang Hao's hand.

She felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation—but this relaxation was also mixed with a feeling of stiffness... In other words, was Yang Hao's "rest" in Lalumia not as good as his time alone with me?

But that makes sense... How long has it been since Yang Hao and I spent time alone together since we started our new home?

The young nun sighed softly. Lalumia simply smiled, reached out and touched the nun's cheek, then adjusted the small crown on her head, and said with a smile:

"Theresa, as the Baselis of Bayezid—or rather, the Queen, you have a very high position and supreme power, but you also bear too many responsibilities."

Because of these things, you've gained a lot... but also lost a lot. One necessary sacrifice is that you can no longer rest alone with Yang Hao. That Fen is constantly sending him messages, and his child is constantly clamoring for his company. Under these circumstances, how do you think Yang Hao can get proper rest?

Not to mention you at night—”

"Stop! Don't say that...sigh...I have been reflecting on it! But the problem is...phew..."

The nun was first nervous, then helpless, and finally let out a deep sigh.

Theresa was not unaware of her mistakes, nor was she unaware of what she should do—but once she became empress, many things could no longer change freely according to her wishes.

She longed to retire now, find a nice house in Constantinople, and immediately begin a harmonious, secluded life with Yang Hao—was that possible? It was impossible. The pressure from Finland alone had forced Theresa to abandon her ideals, not to mention the expectations and scrutiny from the people.

Similarly, she desperately wanted Yang Hao to get a good rest and completely relieve the fatigue accumulated over this period—but was that possible for Theresa? Impossible... They even had less and less intimacy at night. In this increasingly busy era, "rest" had essentially become a "trophy" even rarer than national interests.

Theresa, bound by her duties as queen, couldn't let Yang Hao rest. The elf could only pull him back from his strenuous work. Of the remaining girls, Natalia helped care for the children, Naruja was already quite good as a pet, and Elena hadn't done anything strange lately... But the question was, who could give him a break?

It couldn't possibly be Miss Nia, could it?

Theresa smiled wryly. If it couldn't be Miss Nia, then the only remaining candidate was none other than Lalumia, standing right in front of her.

Think about it carefully, is Lalumia's work really that demanding?

Not will.

She was in charge of what would be considered ordinary accounting or, to put it another way, personnel matters—a very ordinary administrative task for a deity. Lalumia could easily spend an hour handling a week's worth of work, and then spend the next six days doing nothing, helping Natalia take Anna around to play games, or simply going out for a stroll herself.

Her job was very easy for her—which also meant that she was the most relaxed and comfortable person in the United Nations' upper echelons besides Anna.

Even Naruja, as a pet, has a heavier workload than her... At least Naruja has to pat Yang Hao's head from time to time to show her presence, check on the children's condition from time to time, and help research the various modifications of Golems—Lalumia really has nothing to do after she finishes her tasks.

Not only did she have free time, but Lalumia's greatest advantage lay in her personality and identity.

It's no exaggeration to say that Lalumia is the most deserving character to call herself "Mother" in the entire United Kingdom. She is gentle and kind, capable of accepting mistakes with her boundless compassion while ensuring those who err receive their due punishment. Most admirable is Lalumia's unparalleled care for "Exhaustion."

Theresa herself had many inexplicable memories—when she was thirsty and tired, she would inexplicably find a perfectly warm cup of coffee on her desk; when she was hungry while working, she would find snacks placed on the other side; even when she wanted to go out for a walk but didn't want the hassle of changing clothes, a piece of clothing that had already been chosen to best suit her mood would simply appear behind the office door...

She assured that she had not troubled any maids to indulge her whims; in other words, only Lalumia had done all of this—and it wasn't just Theresa herself, but Finn had also received Lalumia's care, to the point that even the little elf who had always disliked Lalumia for some reason subconsciously wanted to exclaim "Mom!"

...You're saying that Yang Hao, as a man who works hard outside, could resist such a strong, motherly presence? That's definitely not true.

Considering that Lalumia has this world to play house with Yang Hao... Yang Hao's gradual succumb to it seems like a logical outcome...

Ugh!

Theresa sighed again.

Especially after discovering that Yang Hao was indeed sleeping very comfortably, and especially considering that even though he was sleeping so comfortably, he would still sleep very soundly at night...

Her sense of frustration was even greater.

And it was at this moment—

"Theresa, you don't need to worry about doing anything wrong."

The gentle deity touched Theresa's cheek once more.

"After all, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses—just like comparing your breasts to Fen's. What you can do, she can't. Conversely, what I can do, you might not be able to do."

We need to face our shortcomings squarely and then work hard at what we're best at or what we love most... So you don't need to feel frustrated about this at all, really? After all, at least in bed, that's something only you and Fen can do...

"...So when you're trying to comfort someone, please don't make me feel even more frustrated, okay? And why did you use that kind of dirty joke as an analogy...?"

"Because I felt it would be easier for you to understand—and isn't that what you taught me? Who was it that kept swearing and telling me to wake up while I was asleep?"

Lalumia's helplessness made Theresa turn her face away rather awkwardly.

It was after this awkward silence lasted for a while that...

Little Theresa coughed twice, gently massaged Yang Hao's fingers for a while, then got up and seemed ready to leave.

Lalumia watched with a smile as Teresa tiptoed away.

She knew that her nun had fully accepted her work—just as a biological daughter had finally admitted that her mother's affection for her boyfriend as if he were her son was without malice, and an indescribable sense of joy welled up within her.

"All I can say is that there's probably no need to put any more signs at the door."

The gentle deity sighed, looked up at the air before her for a long while, and then smiled:

"I wonder what the child over there is thinking? If we don't find a way to intervene soon, perhaps the other two women with the child will beat us to it?"

She touched Yang Hao's forehead.

After confirming that Yang Hao was still fast asleep, she remained silent.

She was very happy to have reached an agreement with her "daughter" today—it would be even better if the little elf who was always annoyed by her chest was also willing to reach an agreement.

Of course, it would be best if the synthetic doll lady were also willing to reach a consensus.

.......

Soon, it was June 17th.

The parishioners divided Protestant and Catholic territories, leaving only a few hundred thousand weak people wandering the wasteland. On this day, Hutod Khan's air raid tactics had not yet achieved their goal, only killing a few cooks.

For some reason, General Dreschka's eyelids kept twitching. He inspected his defensive line built on the plains, but after looking around and finding nothing wrong, he concluded that the reason for his ominous feeling probably came from the mountains and valleys in the southwest.

He ordered the accompanying magicians to contact the garrisons of the seven castles in the mountains and command them to report back immediately, but he did not receive any valuable information.

The army of Issugard seemed lifeless, remaining inactive for a long time. They showed no intention of marching through the mountains, nor of scouting the hilltops and castles. Even after receiving reinforcements from some Aresera who had fled from the eastern mines, the Issugardians seemed unwilling to advance further...

Are they unable to advance any further due to food shortages? Or are they forced to remain stationary due to ammunition supply problems? Whatever the reason, it's good news, right? Why are my eyelids twitching uncontrollably, signaling an ominous sign?

General Dreschka was very puzzled. After thinking it over, the only problem might lie on the plains defense line?

Ultimately, the biggest enemy among the northern nomads is the steel-armored trolls—slow in movement but virtually indestructible. With their own army of mages severely lacking, the biggest problem is how to deal with those trolls.

In the end, General Dreschuka still had to rely on a valuable find from archaeology—a byproduct of Emperor Yang Hao's construction of underground heating pipes when he was still regent. It was a flammable liquid that could be stored in sealed containers.

Although the Roman Empire did not find out what the purpose of these dark things was at the time, the Round Table Council decided to conceal them in order to prevent Yang Hao from creating something out of control.

Now... General Dreschka can only bring out what was originally hidden in secret again, to see if he can use the knowledge that Yang Hao bestowed upon the Roman Empire to provide this empire with a chance to prolong its existence.

"Place those [black oil barrels] before and after the attack path we deliberately left open. When the trolls attack, we'll ignite them directly with rockets fired from the ballistae—turning their steel armor into ovens that restrict them! I want to see how long those trolls can hold out without fleeing."

The general ordered his soldiers to deploy new traps. Recent construction in the military district had been very successful; although most recruits didn't receive full equipment, they were at least capable of serving as auxiliary troops and handling miscellaneous tasks—most importantly, they understood the importance of discipline. That was enough.

With disciplined soldiers and the defensive lines he had built, General Dreschka was confident that he could hold off the invasion of the two countries for at least two months.

But what will happen next is up to fate—if the Alesers don't provide more support, if the eastern mine owners don't send troops to save the country, if Prince Garsen doesn't come to his senses... perhaps this empire is truly doomed.

...

General Dreschka sighed heavily.

But just as he turned to leave, an urgent message from a sentry post in the towering mountains to the southwest made him widen his eyes in surprise:

The army of the Issugard appeared on the other side of the mountain, behind our own lines!

"This is impossible?!"

How on earth did they manage to break through the mountain's blockade?! Why didn't the garrison on the castle detect their movements?!

General Dreschka felt his consciousness momentarily blurred.

My first thought was that this might be a clumsy joke reported to me by some reckless soldier.

Chapter 7, Parts 5/6: The Actions of the God of Light - 8K

On the morning of May 17, when Sirinno finally broke through the tunnel beneath the third mountain range thanks to the united efforts of his comrades, the army of Ysgard had completely bypassed the castles of all sizes on the mountain peaks, and had gained the possibility of directly attacking the military district's defenses from the rear to rendezvous with their allies.

But the problem is, the Khuttokharin Khanate is not like the United Nations—if the United Nations and Issugard are good brothers who can go to the same brothel together [at least in the eyes of the Issugards], then the Khuttokharin Khanate is at most an ordinary friend who can borrow some money on the road to buy cigarettes.

The favoritism a good brother might receive doesn't mean an ordinary friend will. After all, an ordinary friend might just be after your money, while a good brother has genuinely helped you!

Under this mindset, none of the Isugardians intended to launch a counterattack on the Roman Empire's military district defenses—they believed they should advance towards the Roman capital, leaving the military district defenses to the armies defending their rear and the Khuttod Khanate's forces.

"So, we're done with our work? We'll head out now—good luck to you guys."

The Sirens greeted each other cheerfully and left the front lines in their wet engineer uniforms, riding in their wagons. Shortly after the Sirens departed, General Piss himself arrived at the front lines.

Looking at the plain outside the tunnel, he cracked his neck and ordered his adjutant to bring out the map to confirm the location. He judged that his forces were simply not strong enough to encircle the garrison of the military region's defense line. Instead, they could only launch a fierce attack on the enemy's weakest point, like a dagger.

"In other words, our Khuttok Khan allies have to deal with the defenses on the plains on their own—which is good news for us, but it could also be bad news."

"Because the Roman Empire might choose to leave a small force on the defensive line before sending a large force to fight us. In the worst case, they might even abandon the outer defenses and forcibly cut off our logistical supplies... Therefore, we must build a strong fortification at the entrance of this tunnel and use our superior firearms and artillery to teach the Romans a lesson!"

"To avoid being attacked by air forces, we still need to leave a dragon and at least twenty griffin riders here to guard the area... Lieutenant, do you have any other questions?"

General Piss had made his plans and looked up at his adjutant, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Facing his superior's gaze, the adjutant glanced back at the colonial troops who were leaving the tunnel as planned, then frowned and said that they might need to expand their gains as soon as possible and capture a town in the center.

"Building a camp here at the tunnel entrance is too cramped... It can serve as a logistics transit point, but it should definitely not be used as a warehouse to stockpile our strategic resources."

We must immediately seize a nearby town or village and convert it into our stronghold... Firstly, this will draw the enemy's attention, forcing them to deal with the garrison in the village before attacking the tunnels. Secondly, having multiple villages and towns as warehouses to disperse our supplies will prevent us from being wiped out in one fell swoop.

The adjutant's suggestion made General Piss nod: Indeed, if the tunnel entrance were built directly into a warehouse fortress, it would turn the tunnel exit into a solid position, but on the other hand, it would also mean that the place would be destroyed, and the colonial army that had penetrated deep into the central region of the Roman Empire would face the risk of having its supplies completely cut off.

Conversely, if multiple outposts could be built in the surrounding area for unforeseen circumstances... even if the tunnels were destroyed, the colonial army could at least ensure a smooth supply line for several days...

Um...

feasible!

General Piss approved his adjutant's suggestion. He ordered the colonial army to launch a swift attack on the villages and towns surrounding the tunnel exit, while simultaneously commanding griffins and dragons to take to the skies for reconnaissance.

Meanwhile, on the high tower of the defensive line, General Dreschka looked grimly at the griffins and dragons that appeared behind him—he knew very well that those things were soldiers from Isgard, because nowadays the Roman Empire couldn't afford to keep even a single griffin, let alone a dragon... let alone let them fly into the sky to fight.

In terms of air power, the Roman Empire was at a significant disadvantage—but in terms of holding the defensive line, General Dreschka believed he still had a chance.

"Those nomads didn't launch their attack alongside the Issugard people... In other words, they had serious communication problems. Or perhaps they were merely allies on the surface, but fierce competitors in reality..."

General Dreschuka muttered to himself. He quickly realized the strangeness between the Khuttod Khanate and Issugard, and understood that he still had an opportunity to defeat the enemy.

If Isughad and the Khuttod Khanate were indeed competitors, what were their primary objectives? To the point that both countries concealed their military operations...

According to General Dreschka, they should only have one objective.