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

In my memory, when they came, there was no welcome whatsoever, and not many elves even stopped to whisper to them occasionally.

But now?! Almost the entire city of elves? Could you be allies of the elves? And not just ordinary military allies, but perhaps the kind of close friendship between nations I've always imagined...?

This is very strange! Why would such a country suddenly appear out of nowhere? We haven't found any other countries around the Elf Kingdom besides the Roman Empire and the nomadic tribes of the northern grasslands. What's going on?

"They can't possibly live underground, can they?" Nia muttered dryly. After accepting bread and water from a maid who had appeared out of nowhere, she thoughtfully came to a conclusion: "However, since we're being so welcomed by the elves, we must be careful... Send orders to everyone: absolutely do not antagonize them, treat them like honored guests—hopefully, the elves will consider how sensible we are and make some concessions on the diplomatic terms..."

Nia confirmed the next steps, but to be honest, she still needed to see for herself what these envoys, known as the "Bayerzans Empire," were planning to do in the Green Courtyard.

For the time being, as a diplomat of Isgard, Nia has the normal right to enter and leave the Green Courtyard—she may not be able to directly interfere with or participate in Gaparia's diplomatic affairs, but at least she can listen to the rumors and get an impression.

So after finishing breakfast and using dragon flame to clean the food residue from her mouth, Nia tidied herself up with the help of her maid and then went to the Green Courtyard first.

Upon arriving, she discovered that all the elves' court staff were preparing for their guests from afar.

The carpets for welcoming guests, the rooms for entertaining them, and the secret chamber prepared for the envoys to store the eagle banner—all appeared to be protected by countless defensive spells and heavy metal...

She even saw a prepared bathroom, clothing that appeared to be centuries-old styles, and food tailored to the guests' tastes...

This isn't treating an ally's envoy like any other! You're treating them like brothers!

Nia was stunned, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she pretended to be calm and asked the servant who was serving her if she had something important to discuss with His Majesty the Regent and if he had time to meet with her today.

The waiter shook his head:

"Your Majesty and Fen both have important matters to attend to today, so please return first."

"Then, may I listen in?"

This is Nia's real goal. If possible, she'll go inside and take a look. If not, she'll just wander around here.

The waiter was aware of Nia's diplomatic privileges, so considering that Finn hadn't imposed any restrictions on the meeting, the elf readily agreed that Nia could listen in from a slightly further distance. However, according to her authority, she couldn't take anything out, and she would have to be inspected by the elves whenever she entered or left.

In other words, you can listen, but you can't write it down—although Nia said that if she could record things with her own eyes, then this precaution would be practically useless. But then she thought that this might just be a custom in someone else's home, so she finally agreed.

Nia then rushed into the audience hall and sat down in a secluded spot away from the elves. The black dragon patiently waited for everything to begin.

She pondered, guessing that Fen and Yang Hao would arrive first. After the other guests came in, they would need to store their weapons and take a bath and rest. For a while, she would probably just sit there bored.

Nia waited and waited. But instead of seeing Fen or Yang Hao, she was greeted by a beautiful woman with white hair and gray eyes, dressed in a magnificent purple robe and surrounded by elves.

The white-haired woman in purple, attended by elves, sat on one of the only two thrones on the high platform of the audience hall.

Nia silently gazed enviously at the noblewoman's chest several times. Finally, she looked down at her own chest: she had always been quite confident in her figure, but compared to this, she was far inferior.

If I had to use a metaphor, it would be a heavy, dangerous, and beautiful natural mountain peak, while I am at most a slightly higher hill.

"Humans are more powerful than dragons, and dragons are more likely to die of anger!" Nia sighed. After memorizing the face of the woman in purple, she tentatively assumed in her mind that the woman was an important member of the Elf Kingdom, an "outsider" similar to His Majesty Yang Hao, whom she had never met before.

It seems that Gaparia is more willing to accept outsiders than she thought—just as Nia was thinking this, Yang Hao and Fen finally arrived.

They were dressed in the most noble clothes, and everyone nodded in greeting as they arrived, making them look like a proper king and queen.

Just as Nia was thinking to herself, "Your wife is definitely not that elf," she saw Finn sit down in her seat.

...Fen's seat, and that of the white-haired woman in purple, seemed to have no difference in status whatsoever.

Logically speaking, if Fen's status is higher or lower than hers, then her position should be adjusted accordingly.

But, is this directly equivalent to being at the same level?

Directly relegated to the same level? Gaparia, how could you do this...?

(Don't tell me that Gaparia is actually a tripartite system—wait a minute? So, what about Yang Hao's position?)

But it was at this moment that Nia suddenly noticed that Yang Hao seemed to be carrying a chair without any seats.

He stood leaning against the throne of the white-haired woman in purple, rather than against the seat on Fern's side. He seemed closer to the white-haired woman, whom he had never met before, than to Fern.

And for some reason, the elves seem to have gotten used to it—weren't they? Weren't you just expressing your happiness and approval for the seemingly marital relationship between your Fen and Yang Hao?

How come you've all turned a blind eye to the Regent's close relationships with other women?!

Is your elf society really this open?!

Nia muttered to herself, while also straining to listen to the elves' faint murmurs. She was trying to glean some clue about the white-haired woman, but as she listened, something felt off...

'So our Finn still hasn't made any progress?'

'If this continues, our regent might just go to the Bayern Empire...'

'While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, and in fact, it's a good thing overall, the Regent still has to stay with Gaparia...'

...

What are you talking about?

Why do you say that Finland has not made any progress?

Why do you say that Yang Hao plans to go to the Bayer Zion Empire, a country whose name I've never heard of and whose location I can't find?

Why do you say this isn't a "bad thing"? Instead, you say it's a "good thing"?

Can someone tell me what you're talking about?

Black Dragon Head lamented that even her usually sharp mind, which was considered clever among the Black Dragons, wasn't enough here. But what could she do? She was the highest-ranking diplomat here. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue listening.

She tentatively concluded that Yang Hao had a much closer relationship with the white-haired woman in purple, at least much closer than with Fen.

But before she could draw a second conclusion—accompanied by the sound of horns—the main character finally arrived.

Those were the envoys of the Bayern Empire, who had already bathed and changed clothes, and appeared even more energetic after a short rest.

Under Nia's watchful gaze, the seven envoys, the moment they saw the woman in purple, knelt on one knee before her with the highest military courtesy.

Everyone was moved to tears. Before Nia could figure out what was going on, she heard words that shocked her.

"Great Princess in Purple! Please allow us to plead with you, to return to our homeland like lightning and spring rain, to return to Bayern, to return to Constantinople, the city of the Queen of Ten Thousand Cities, and lead us to victory over the demons, and lead us back to the earth!"

They kissed the carpet in front of the woman in purple, whose hands were trembling slightly.

Nia stared blankly at the woman known as the Purple-Clad Princess, then glanced at the Regent standing beside her with his hands behind his back.

Your wife is actually a princess from another country?!

(I fucking have to get Margarita to increase her diplomatic efforts...)

Nia was so shocked that she couldn't make a sound.

For Yang Hao and the others on the stage, their battle had only just begun.

Chapter 4: Bayern's Preparations for Restoration (8K)

"Great Princess in Purple! Please allow us to plead with you, to return to our homeland like lightning and spring rain, to return to Bayern, to return to Constantinople, the city of the Queen of Ten Thousand Cities, and lead us to victory over the demons, and lead us back to the earth!"

Looking at the veteran kneeling before Teresa, who was dressed in purple, it would be a lie to say Yang Hao wasn't nervous.

After all, the Bayerzans were people he had never encountered before and had no impression of whatsoever. They were different from elves, different from the humans of the Roman Empire, different from the Isugardians and that black dragon—the Bayerzans were a great nation that had lived underground for thousands of years. During those thousands of years, they must have developed countless strange customs, and these customs were undoubtedly something Yang Hao had never encountered before, and were likely to incite the Bayerzans' anger—a kind of "black box."

No wonder Theresa was so uneasy. Just imagining herself facing a group of unknown and unpredictable foreigners made her nervous, let alone facing an entire nation, especially one that was under her rule and whose prophecy had come true.

Yang Hao felt that even he was overwhelmed by the pressure, let alone the nun who was physically weaker. Looking at her hands, which were resting on her knees and trembling slightly, Yang Hao offered comfort with his eyes while patiently waiting for Teresa to make her move.

They had already agreed that this was Theresa's stage—Theresa had taken the initiative to negotiate, so Yang Hao would not say much unless he intervened when necessary.

And Theresa was indeed very strong. Suppressing her urge to run away, she nodded slightly in acknowledgment using the royal etiquette she had learned from her parents. Then she opened her mouth and spoke in the tone befitting a true princess:

“People of Bayezid, raise your heads. I am not now the official Baselisa, so you need not bow to me.”

"Yes. Great princess."

"Then, please tell me your name, standard-bearer. And then please tell me the current situation in Bayern."

"Yes. Great Princess, I am Lucas, the current flag bearer of the Second Royal Eagle Banner Battalion. Now that the Second Battalion has been destroyed, please allow me to inform you of the current situation of Bayer Zans."

The standard-bearer, who called himself Lucas, raised his head as ordered by the purple-clad princess, allowing everyone to see his weathered face up close.

It was the image of a true veteran—covered in horrific scars, bearing the marks of time. But his eyes looked full of vitality, overflowing with an almost manic happiness from ecstasy.

Under the watchful eyes of the elves, Lucas began by stating, "Since sinking into the earth, we have continued to fight against the demonic scourge under the leadership of the nobles," thus outlining the current state of the Bayrzans Empire.

Since the Bayern Empire sank into the earth a thousand years ago, it has been fighting against the demonic scourge that also dwells underground, under the leadership of the surviving members of the royal family and nobles.

They fought for centuries, and as far as Lucas knew, the population of Constantinople had dwindled from over 2 million a thousand years ago to less than a million today. In the long years of warfare and in adapting to the underground environment, the Bayezid Empire suffered heavy casualties.

Hearing this, only Yang Hao noticed that Theresa had begun to concentrate—he meant that she, who originally didn't have much of a sense of identification with the Bayerzans Empire and was still resisting and uneasy, perked up after hearing about the decline in Bayerzans' population.

"Currently, Constantinople has about 40 patients already infected by the demonic calamity, and there are still about 90 more. We are on the verge of national extinction, but the demonic calamity is not faring well either."

According to our statistics, their numbers have dwindled from tens of thousands to less than thirty—but the remaining thirty demons still possess the power to fight us to the death. We can wipe them out completely, but we would then suffer heavy casualties and be routed by the overwhelming numbers of [larvae] and [juveniles].

"We are locked in a stalemate with the demons, who are being forced to send even their larvae to the battlefield. We, in turn, have no choice but to send our children, barely 16 years old, into the armor of their fathers to fight alongside us to the death..."

"The moss and earthworms around Constantinople are almost gone. Although we've cultivated a considerable number of mushrooms using magical techniques, they're constantly draining the continent's underground mana... and according to our calculations, if the mana continues to be depleted, the surface mana will likely be gradually drained as well..."

"Under these circumstances, our people are not even able to get enough to eat. Apart from the soldiers, only workers and laborers receive slightly more rations, and this includes even the nobles..."

Lucas's explanation struck Theresa's heart like a series of heavy hammer blows.

She kept talking about her disgust and resistance to the Bayer Nazarene Empire, but it was all just talk.

Just like many people who complain about how strict their parents are with them when they're away from home, even cursing at them when they're talking to them, but if someone says that something has happened to their parents, these are the same children who will be the first to abandon their work and studies and rush home.

Theresa felt genuinely proud of the sacrifices her country had made, disdainful of the barbarians' betrayal and degeneration, and happy for the survival of her elven allies. Therefore, she was also heartbroken by the plight of her people.

Her heart ached as if it had been shattered. Constantinople, once known as the Queen of Cities and home to over 20 million people, had dwindled to less than a million after centuries of war, many of whom had been corrupted by demonic forces.

Although Theresa had never witnessed the demonic calamity firsthand, she had learned from the ancient books left by her parents that anyone infected with the plague of the demonic calamity and becoming a corrupted being would eventually be assimilated into a demon.

Although the elves' healing magic can not only regenerate severed limbs and magical organs, but also save people contaminated by magical disasters, this is on the premise that the injured person must be in an area that the elves can reach and where there is sufficient magic.

The underground magic has been almost completely drained, and the underground of the Bayrgans Empire is not a place that elves can enter on a large scale—in other words, these 40 patients will either be assimilated into demons or die gracefully within a month, or at most last a year and a half.

...A full 40 people, a full 40 citizens of the motherland, will die in an endless underground war.

This made Theresa's heart clench as if by an invisible hand. She could feel the overwhelming urge to immediately go underground and be with the people of her homeland, but she also understood that it was an immense pressure.

It was an incredibly heavy burden. The entire nation placed its last hopes on the shoulders of a nun who had never done anything like this before.

In a sense, Teresa realized that she was experiencing everything that the saint had gone through.

The difference is that the saint chose to lock herself underground.

What should we do about our own side?

...Lucas seemed to mistake the calm on the purple-clad princess's face for a sign that she was urging him to continue.