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

As the last princess of the Bayrzans Empire, who was well-versed in the elves, Theresa, though she had never personally negotiated with them, already knew everything about them from the books left by her family—this stubborn race, just like their unyielding nature, would never break a promise once it was made, even if the oath still stood. As long as a promise, no matter how small, was kept, there was no need to worry about the elves doing anything behind her back.

Conversely, the elves also know that once a promise is made, they can't do anything underhanded—so Finn will absolutely not back down on things they're certain to do. Like this time, for example.

(Do you think I don't know what this golden-haired, blue-eyed sparrow in heat is up to?! I certainly have no problem with him staying in the Elf Kingdom forever, but you fucking want him to live in your palace for the rest of his life?! No way!)

Theresa was genuinely getting anxious: while it was true that she and Yang Hao planned to settle in the Elf Kingdom, she hadn't said she wanted Yang Hao to live permanently in the Elf Royal Court, which was right here in the emerald green courtyard...

At that time, although her little dog certainly won't actively seek out a new owner, who can guarantee that he won't suddenly get petted when he's finally relaxed and let his guard down?

After all, the elf territory is truly relaxing, and the chances of him getting a taste of his own medicine are really high... so Theresa needs to be vigilant and really try to prevent that kind of thing from happening...

For Fen, the Purple Princess's desperate obstruction only confused the young girl: according to her knights and advisors, the Purple Princess might have traveled with Yang Hao to restore her kingdom and revitalize her native religion, "Light," since that was indeed what the prophecy said... But now it seems that this is not the case?

(What's going on? Did the prophecy fail? But so far, prophecies haven't been wrong, have they?) Her brow furrowed slightly. Looking at the serious expression on the purple-clad princess's face, she felt somewhat weary. (And isn't her protectiveness a bit too strong? Even my mother isn't this protective. If she could, she'd probably rather hold His Majesty Yang Hao in her arms and never feel at ease... But ultimately, we elves also need His Majesty Yang Hao...)

Theresa's strong protective instincts clashed fiercely with the elves' powerful yearning.

In the end, their open and covert struggle over the regulations has temporarily come to an end.

Through her own efforts, Teresa secured a comprehensive protection promise from the elves for Yang Hao, ensuring that he would be free, alive, and wealthy—excluding the Little Witch and the Little Saintess, and none of the traitors were taken into consideration.

Conversely, Finn also secured the bare minimum she needed—she made no promises regarding whether she would plead with Yang Hao to continue as regent, and she also exploited a loophole that Teresa could never have imagined...

Given the current situation, Teresa is clearly in a superior position, but secretly both sides are suffering losses, or perhaps it's a case of "each getting what they want."

The pure white light in Teresa's hand vanished. Under the witness of the setting sun's "light," the contract was established.

There was no need for further discussion about this matter, so we naturally moved on to the main topic that Theresa and Finn were most concerned about.

...

The elves offered Mother Teresa the condition that she cede the Regentship to Gaparia and to Finn of the Elven Kingdom, in exchange for support for the restoration of the Bayezid Empire and the relocation of its population.

This was a costly deal for the elves.

In human terms, it means the elf is willing to exchange half of their heart for a friend of the other party. After all, this involves the elf population, the elf wealth, and a promise that the elves may have to make for millions of years to come.

"...According to the agreement between the Bayezid Empire and Gaparia a thousand years ago, the elves reserved a portion of Bayezid territory on the surface."

Finn stated this in a serious tone, while the nun in front of her merely watched with a forced smile.

"In the Demon Forest west of the Elf Forest, there are still some towns of the Bayerzans Empire that haven't sunk underground—the elves have protected them very well, just as they were a thousand years ago, and you can use them as soon as you enter. These are the legacy of the Bayerzans Empire, and they were originally meant to be inherited by you, Princess Purple Robe. Therefore, this is not part of the transaction, but rather a prerequisite for the transaction that follows."

As is well known, the Baynz Empire once fought alongside Gaparia against the demonic calamity, solely to protect the countless lives behind them. During the period when both Gaparia and Baynz were tied down by the demonic calamity, some hybrid beings that we can all see naturally emerged between Gaparia and Baynz.

Many of these half-elves have lived for generations at the border between Gaparia and Bayez, and they know everything about Bayez from their elders and have a strong sense of belonging to Bayez.

If you wish, the Elven Kingdom is willing to relocate this portion of the half-elves as one of the prices for the citizens of New Bayrzans—”

Before the words were finished, the elf saw the nun subconsciously swallow—a sign of attraction. Before the elf could feel a surge of joy, she saw a complex and hesitant look flash across the nun's eyes, and finally, a sound escaped her lips.

"Do not".

“I refuse.” Theresa sighed and shook her head, thinking to herself that if there really was such assistance from the elves, Bayrjans might not be able to restore its kingdom, but at least it would have new seeds. “Although I am very tempted, I refuse.”

"After all, Bayerzs is a thing of the past, and I am the last princess—hoping for a princess to restore a kingdom is less desirable than hoping that one day the barbarians of the Roman Empire will remember his goodness in the face of disaster. At least it happened, so I choose to accept reality."

"Not to mention, these half-elves are also important subjects to Gaparia. I am not so wicked as to need to plunder the subjects of friendly nations to rebuild my country—if my ancestors heard about this human trafficking operation, they would probably get up from the ground and beat me up immediately."

"Therefore, given that I myself have no desire to restore my country... I reject your proposal."

This is...

Is it because I didn't give enough, or perhaps I didn't hold enough weight in Princess Purple's heart...?

Seeing the nun shaking her head in refusal, Fen was somewhat surprised, but after considering her identity as a nun, she felt somewhat relieved.

After all, for religious people, the secular goal of "restoring the kingdom" may not carry enough weight. Now that the authority of "Light" has been taken away by traitors, what a princess who serves Light ultimately desires is for her god to regain the power that has been stolen.

So after thinking for a while, Finn decided to increase the force.

"So, based on the restoration of the kingdom and population aid... what if the Elven Kingdom is willing to regard the Church of Light as a [nation]...?"

Her soft whispers weighed heavily on the nun's mind, causing this nun, who had only seen the world in books, to swallow hard. Countless possibilities flashed in her gray eyes.

For Theresa, the Light she served was already in decline due to the collapse of ritual and music and the loss of divine power by the God of Light.

It's no exaggeration to say that the current "Light" is like a ninety-year-old man lying on the operating table who could kick the bucket at any moment. Even the most devout Teresa herself had long been prepared for the collapse and death of this faith that had accompanied her since childhood.

However, this does not mean that [Light] is beyond saving.

If Theresa could find enough followers to convert to the Light instead of the God of Light, if Theresa could truly make the Light the state religion of a country...

Regardless of whether [Light] can regain its power in the future.

At the very least, this belief can be preserved.

Not to mention that if the believers in "Light" are not humans but elves, He can not only preserve Himself, but also visibly grow... and in the end, He might even regain the initial strength to contend with the God of Light.

After all, elves are a stubborn race.

If you love someone, you will love them no matter what, without any room for compromise.

If you hate someone, you'll hate them no matter what, there's no turning back.

Similarly...

When elves truly embrace a religion, they will devote themselves to it wholeheartedly without reservation. Once they become believers, they become religious fanatics even more fervent than humans.

No religion or deity would reject the faith of elves; if someone did, they would surely be a fool, an idiot, or a moron.

Not to mention... the elves didn't even retract their conditions for restoring their kingdom—they planned to support their restoration, provide them with the necessary population, allow them to preach in the elven kingdom, and even make the doctrine of light the state religion of the elves.

Theresa admitted that she was attracted to him.

No one could resist. It's like someone reduced to begging, and their once-equal, million-dollar best friend suddenly decides to give them more than half her fortune, along with her sister, in exchange for letting their equally down-on-their-luck boyfriend stay at her place for a few days...

Honestly, anyone would be incredibly tempted by such conditions. After all, the difference between the effort and the reward is enormous—almost thousands of times the profit. If Theresa were a businesswoman, she probably would have agreed to Finn's terms immediately, right?

"...Honestly, I'm really tempted."

...No. Even if it were an ordinary nun, a princess, or a socialite here, they would only agree. After all, they would only consider things from the perspective of the country, faction, and [other people].

But Teresa was not one of them.

"It's giving me the means to restore my kingdom, and it's giving me the conditions and opportunity to regain divine power from my Lord... To be honest, I'm really, really tempted."

"This is no ordinary Theresa, this big fool," she murmured.

"But—I still refuse."

Fen, please understand, Yang Hao is not "my personal possession." He is a person. He cannot, should not, and will not change his ownership based on our discussions.

Our relationship is one where I chose him and he chose me, not one where I possess him or he possesses me. We are equals; I respect everything about him, so I will not treat him as a commodity, nor will I sell him out because of my personal feelings or needs. Even if he were to betray me, that would remain unchanged.

Therefore, Finn...excuse me for being frank, but I will not accept any of your conditions.

After all, he's just a little dog who finally has a home. If even I betray him, where else can he find a home?

Theresa expressed her thoughts with considerable difficulty.

(Damn it... I should have just agreed... If I had just agreed, my country and my Lord would have been reborn... And if I had just explained it to him, he would definitely have agreed... Why was I so stupid? Sigh...)

Giving up the opportunity to restore her country and gain the status of the state religion was heartbreaking for Theresa. But when she thought of her puppy sleeping peacefully and completely relaxed in front of her every night, her painful heart felt as sweet as if it had been watered with honey.

...never mind.

Restore your mother's kingdom, and save your mother's Lord.

My Lord, if you have any conscience left, could you please die now so that I can finally give up and live a peaceful life?

The nun muttered blasphemous words to herself.

Finn was utterly astonished by her answer...and also quite envious of this relationship, which was so rare for humans.

Chapter Fourteen: Prophecy and the Truth of the Past

After Theresa rejected Finn's proposal for the second time, their confrontation had reached a stalemate.

It would take Yang Hao some time to return with his men, and it would be impolite to leave the reception room without permission—so Theresa couldn't leave immediately. Instead, she could only sit restlessly in her seat, praying in her heart that [Light] would kick the bucket soon so that she could completely give up her dreams of restoring the kingdom and the church, and live a peaceful life with Yang Hao.

As for Finn, her goals have been thwarted one after another, and even the most humble person should start to feel frustrated. But from an outsider's perspective, Finn only feels envy and surprise at the relationship between Theresa and Yang Hao.

The elves were not unfamiliar with love stories where people chose love over national duty.

I have never seen a family bond where the family chooses to save the world over protecting their loved ones.

But for someone like Theresa, caught in the conflicting emotions of wanting to restore her kingdom, revitalize her sect, and keep the man by her side, her twisted and painful feelings drive her to choose the latter, even to the point of desperately cursing her faith in the dead so that it would finally give up on her...

This was the first time Fen had met him.

It was precisely because of this distortion that Teresa exuded a twisted beauty at this moment. She was like a statue.

A distorted statue that simultaneously embodies a variety of emotions, including hope, disappointment in oneself, pain, longing, and finally, stubbornness and tenderness.

Fragile, yet beautiful. Delicate, yet strong...

The person who turned her into this state was also the man she had been longing to finally recruit, Japaria.

This is really...

"I don't know how to put it best."

Finn couldn't help but sigh. Only after the words left her mouth did she realize that Teresa's attention had been drawn.

...Fen pondered for a moment, but still unwilling to give up, she simply took advantage of this unexpected situation to continue her reflections:

"The prophecy clearly says that the last Purple Princess will rebuild Bayerzs... but Purple Princess, judging from your thoughts, it seems you... don't intend to do that, right?"

"After all, prophecies are all lies."

"Perhaps the prophecy you heard differs from the prophecy kept by the elves?"

"Then tell me what kind of prophecy you've been keeping over there? The one I heard from my parents, who died a long time ago, is that I'll cause some huge uproar this November and cause the underground people to gossip and gossip—they even said that I'll spend my life with a successful man and become the Caesar and Emperor of the new empire."

"...Perhaps you've misheard something?"

Fen blinked, and then began to tell her story.

It turns out that this was a prophecy spoken by Constantine XII, the last emperor of the Bayern Empire, before he personally dragged the core of the demonic calamity and his country underground, and before the city sank, before he perished together with the demon that controlled the calamity.

In the story, the Emperor of Bayezid vehemently denounced the shamelessness of the traitors and condemned the filth and depravity of the false gods. He bluntly used all sorts of foul language to insult the traitors who stabbed the empire in the back and the scoundrels who seized the power of light.

In the prophecy, he swore in the name of blood that the traitor's empire would split during the unification process and perish once again after the split—and that filthy false god would also disappear in war after war, leaving not even a shrine or a final tomb, completely erasing any trace of its existence in the world.

Meanwhile, Constantine XII also prophesied that the last princess in purple would reclaim the power of light, announce her ascension to the throne with a dazzling pillar of light, and lead her remaining people to rebuild a great empire. However, the prophecy was not entirely complete...