I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

"The city hall will soon be staffed with a new group of people to take charge of the city's daily management. These people will naturally be nobles," Enoria said calmly.

"After all, they have far more experience in governing cities than you people do."

Her words were laced with contempt, but Nora had no time to care.

“But…” Enoria sighed and put down her teacup, “These nobles seem to have been living in a comfortable environment for too long.”

"When the kingdom is in trouble, they always think first about how to protect their own interests. Once the danger has passed, they think about using the authority of the royal family to take back everything they have lost."

Her voice turned cold, and a hint of disgust flashed in her beautiful purple eyes.

"I will not assign you any position in the city hall."

This was exactly what Nora expected.

"But your flame can continue to burn."

Nora's pupils suddenly contracted.

She was completely stunned.

Not disband? Not expel?

This makes absolutely no sense in terms of political logic.

“Your Highness, I don’t understand,” Nora finally couldn’t help but ask.

Enoria smiled.

"Holy Song City is a city of freedom. In the future, all sorts of people will come here: elves, dwarves, and even... orcs."

“I do not want the city hall, controlled by those selfish nobles, to become a monopoly and do whatever it wants.”

Enoria's gaze was fixed intently on Nora.

Do you understand what I mean?

understood.

In that instant, Nora understood everything.

What a brilliant tactic!

This not only appeased the nobles and reclaimed control of the city, but also planted a seed of discord, making the nobles feel uneasy and preventing them from harboring any disloyalty.

At the same time, it gave the people of the city, both the burning fire and the ordinary citizens, a vague yet real hope.

Three birds with one stone.

Her Highness the Queen Mother has mastered the art of political balancing to its fullest extent.

Nora slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Enochia once again.

"I understand, Your Majesty the Queen Mother."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for pointing out the future direction for the fire."

Enoria nodded in satisfaction and waved.

"You can go now. Remember who you are, and... don't let me down."

Nora didn't say another word. She turned around and walked out of the hall with her usual steady steps.

When she stood in the sunlight again, she felt a moment of disorientation.

Burning Fire survived and even received the tacit approval of the royal family, allowing it to continue to grow and expand.

In retrospect, this is undoubtedly the best outcome.

But she and Ranhuo went from being rebels to pawns in the power struggle, which, in their hearts, was a complete failure.

She looked up at the crowd still celebrating in the square, a self-deprecating smile on her face.

So this is what politics is all about.

……

Inside the city hall.

Enoria watched Nora's figure disappear through the doorway, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

She walked to the window and looked down at the bustling square below. The faces that were filled with joy and hope looked like rootless duckweed in her eyes.

"How could an ordinary citizen harbor such presumptuous thoughts, even wanting to establish his own order..."

She murmured softly, her voice tinged with indifference.

"It's... utterly ridiculous."

She stretched out her slender fingers and gently traced them across the glass window, as if trying to erase the tiny figure below from this world.

Is it right or wrong to indulge them?

Chapter 164 Checks and Balances

The king's entourage stayed in the city of Sacred Song for two days.

Over the past two days, the celebrations of the Bright Light Festival have been in full swing, as if all the gloom and pain accumulated over the past six months have been burned away in this grand carnival.

The survivors temporarily forgot their pain; children chased and played in the rebuilt streets, vendors shouted their wares, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and beer.

Everything seemed to be on the right track, and there was hope.

On the morning of the third day, the king's procession quietly left the city of Sacred Song amidst cheers from the crowds lining the streets.

The following day, a brand new notice was posted in the square in front of the city hall.

The crowd surrounded the notice board, and murmurs of discussion rose and fell.

Lynn squeezed in for a quick look, then squeezed out again expressionlessly.

"How is it?" Anna handed him a string of candied hawthorns she had just bought.

"What else could it be?" Lynn took the candied hawthorn, took a bite, and mumbled, "The city lord, the treasurer, the captain of the guard... they're all old nobles who have been entrenched in this land for hundreds of years."

Anna was not surprised by this; she calmly watched the people who were either excited or disappointed in front of the announcement.

“That’s a good thing.” Lynn swallowed the candied hawthorn and continued, “At least the Fireballs weren’t disbanded, and Nora wasn’t accused of treason.”

He looked at Anna, his eyes filled with insight, "That Queen Mother is truly shrewd."

"She returned the city's management to the nobles, appeasing the old forces, but tacitly allowed Nora and Burning Fire to exist, like leaving a biting dog in a noble's manor."

"She hopes that we and the nobility will check and balance each other, so that no one can become too powerful and her precious son can sit more securely."

Anna nodded in agreement.

“For Nora, this is the best possible outcome,” she said softly. “At least she can continue to protect the common people and prevent the nobles from exploiting them too easily.”

Lynn shrugged and said nothing more.

He couldn't be bothered to delve into politics.

As long as it doesn't interfere with his peaceful and comfortable life, that's fine.

The two walked slowly along the newly paved stone path, bathed in the warm afternoon sun.

The shops on both sides of the street have reopened, the blacksmith's shop is filled with the clanging of hammers, the bakery's chimney is billowing sweet white smoke, and children are chasing and playing in the street.

Everything was brimming with new vitality.

Anna stopped and took a deep breath; the air was filled with the aroma of earth and food.

"How wonderful..." she murmured, her golden eyes sparkling with an unprecedented brilliance.

“I used to think that such a life was a luxury.”

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

“Every day I was fighting, every day I was losing my sanity. Watching the people around me fall one by one, I thought I would end up like them, silently turning into a monster in some deserted corner, and then being purified.”

"I never imagined that one day I could be like this, not having to think about anything, just walking in the sunlight."

Lynn listened quietly, and he could feel the preciousness of Anna's words, a joy that had been lost and then found again.

He smiled and reached out to tuck a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"Life will be like this from now on."

His voice was very soft, while he was frantically muttering to himself.

What kind of bullshit is this otherworldly adventure, saving the world... nothing compares to the comfort of being with a beautiful woman in a gentle embrace.

Lynn winked at Anna, his tone flippant but his eyes incredibly serious.

"Let others handle the fighting and killing from now on. I just want to stay here with you, plant flowers, grow grass, and enjoy a peaceful retirement."

Anna was amused by him, and her eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons.

She didn't say anything, but silently and proactively took Lynn's hand.

Warm and soft.

Lynn clenched her fists tightly, a sense of peace settling over her heart.

Fuck the curse, fuck the evil god.

As long as I can protect the warmth in my palm, that's enough.

He thought this peace would last a long time.

At least, it will allow him to enjoy a period of decadent and complacent life.

However, reality often delivers the loudest slap in the face when people are most relaxed.

That night, Lynn stayed in Anna's room, ostensibly to "explore the deep mysteries of holy light magic," but in reality, he was trying to take advantage of her.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Lynn got up and went to open the door, somewhat impatiently.

Standing outside the door was Nora.

She was still wearing that gray scholar's robe, but her usually calm face was now filled with solemnity and urgency.

"problem occurs."

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, she went straight into the room.

Lisa stopped wiping her sword, and Anna put down her book. Both of them focused their attention on Nora.

"The king's procession had barely left when the nobles began their attack."

Nora's voice was fast and urgent.

"Under the pretext of checking for unidentified individuals, they sent people to block off several main entrances and exits to the lower city, where most of our allies live."

"Although they haven't directly taken action, there have been several small-scale clashes, and more than a dozen of our people have been arrested on charges of obstructing official business."

Lynn frowned. "They're testing our limits."

“That’s right.” Nora nodded. “They know we have high-level combatants like you on our side, so they don’t dare to directly break off relations. Therefore, they’ve used another method.”

She took a deep breath and delivered even worse news.

"My men have discovered that there are many unfamiliar faces in the city, all of them lone wolves with a fierce aura. After confirmation, they all come from various mercenary groups, including some notorious high-ranking mercenaries."

"Those nobles are spending huge sums of money to recruit mercenaries in order to counterbalance us."

Anna's face darkened. "Does the Queen Mother approve?"

“I’m afraid so.” Nora gave a bitter smile. “That prince gave us the right to exist, and also gave the nobles a pretext to deal with us.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"However, these are not the most troublesome things."

Nora's gaze swept over Lynn and Anna.

"The most troublesome thing is that the church is coming back."

"The Queen Mother granted the Holy Light Church's request to rebuild the church in the City of Holy Songs."

Nora's voice carried a hint of helplessness.