Firefly Journey

The day after Lin Yuanran's visit, Ainoer Elilanca also came to the castle.

"Open the door, Claudia, I brought your favorite rice cakes."

His smile was so kind, and his voice so gentle.

Rice cakes are a local delicacy in the Kingdom of Delos. Fermented millet is shaped into balls, cooked with spices, and has a delicious taste.

As a child, Claudia loved to eat, but as a princess, the old king was very strict with her. Her daily meals were taken care of by a special person, and she could not eat as much as she wanted.

At these times, Aino would always appear at the right moment, holding rice cakes in her hand, which she would wolf down.

Those were all long ago; the old king has passed away, and Claudia has grown up.

Claudia had no choice but to open the door since she was under someone else's roof.

Enor walked in, placed the rice basket on the desk, and asked with concern, "Why don't you go out for a walk? Staying indoors all day will make you feel stifled."

Aynor didn't restrict her niece's freedom too much; at least she could freely enter and leave the palace. But for Claudia, being imprisoned in the castle and being imprisoned in the palace were the same—both were prisons. Would a prisoner care about the size of his cell?

“Uncle, I haven’t eaten rice cakes for a long time,” Claudia said calmly.

"During my time in Yicheng, I enjoyed the local cuisine."

"It's alright, there are chefs in the palace who can cook it."

Prince Enor sat down as if nothing had happened, his expression still gentle: "Who did you see yesterday?"

Claudia sneered, "Uncle is really well-informed. I thought he would come yesterday."

"It was too late yesterday, I was afraid of disturbing your rest."

"Thank you so much, I'm so touched."

"Between you and me, family, what's the point of talking about being moved? When we were little, even the slightest noise would keep us awake, and it's the same now that we're grown up."

"You have to answer my question: Who is that person?"

Claudia had no intention of hiding it; Lin Yuanran was a member of the Holy See, and in the Pan-Ancient Continent, no one would be willing to oppose the Holy See.

Moreover, Lin Yuanran acts in a high-profile manner, so if Ainor wants to investigate, she will definitely be able to find out.

“My classmates from back in Ilham are now working for the Vatican.”

Aynor nodded, very satisfied with Claudia's honesty.

"The path of the Vatican is a dead end. I thought you had given up long ago."

“We should at least give it a try.” Claudia squinted.

“Some people left Prone overnight last night; their destination should be the generals who support you.”

"What's wrong, Uncle? Are you panicking?" Claudia asked with a smile.

"There's no need to panic. You know, once they come to Prone, they'll never be able to leave. After all, it's not worth it for the strength of my Kingdom of Delos to be wasted in a civil war."

"But you were the one who initiated it, Uncle."

“Couldn’t it be me?” Enor looked at his brother’s daughter, his niece, and said, “Before you were even born, the Kingdom of Delos was already suffering terribly at the hands of the Empire, its people were displaced, and the land was engulfed in flames of war.”

"What did my brother, your father, do then?"

Enor laughed heartily: "He turned around and went to the Vatican, which, in my opinion, is tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house!"

"The Debasa Empire invaded us, but what good is the Principality of Bema? Over the years, churches have sprung up one after another in our country, and the majesty of the royal family is gradually being replaced by the Sun God."

"I won't allow that!"

Enor slammed his fist on the table in anger.

Claudia remained calm.

From Aynor's perspective, he was dissatisfied with his elder brother's cowardice and his use of the "using one tiger to devour another" strategy. Although it eased the empire's aggression, it also made him bow down to the duchy again.

Claudia knew that wasn't the case.

The Kingdom of Delos was weak, and as the saying goes, "possessing a treasure invites trouble." With the strength of such a small country, it was no match for the brutal army of the empire. In this situation, using one enemy to devour another was the most sensible course of action.

Moreover, the Vatican is neither a tiger nor a wolf!

Claudia spent her childhood in Ilham, an industrial city that was prosperous and where hunger and cold were almost nonexistent.

Having witnessed the grandeur of the duchy, she wanted to change her hometown.

The Papacy, upholding justice and righteousness, inherited Julius's will and spread hope and peace to the world; it is by no means the wolfish army that Einol described.

The fact that the Papacy betrayed the Seven Gods when they attacked Chu is the best proof of this.

Enor lived in his own theory, believing himself to be the savior of Delos, which was absurd and laughable.

They kept saying that the Kingdom of Delos should be independent and autonomous, but then they turned around and became Henry I's dog.

What absurdity!

Claudia had long seen through her self-centered uncle; no matter how high-sounding his words were, in the end, they were just excuses to serve his own ambitions.

Ainol stood up and warned, "You can have them come to the capital. It's good that I need to purge my own ranks."

"Furthermore, I will gradually eliminate those scourges of the Holy See. Under my control, the Kingdom of Delos will be stronger than ever before!"

Enor laughed and left the castle.

Claudia truly believed he was insane and beyond redemption.

Expel the Papacy? What a boastful tone! The last person to do that was Henry I. How do you compare?

Claudia suddenly began to feel sorry for him. In a sense, he was an optimist, completely lacking in self-awareness. If everyone had this kind of spirit, the world would be much more peaceful.

……

Ainor left the palace quickly, her steps hurried, her inner state far from the calm she appeared to be.

He was quite certain that the Papacy would not interfere in the kingdom's internal affairs, but he needed to be more careful, because he knew exactly where his tail was.

The existence of the "Dark Gaze" must never be known to the public, otherwise the Vatican will surely take swift and decisive action. Evil gods are a bottom line issue that cannot be touched!

Upon returning to his residence, Aynor immediately summoned his men and ordered his trusted troops, who were closest to Prone, to return.

Not satisfied with that, he also sent men to the church to find out the background of the people Claudia had met.

In the courtyard, Aynor looked worried.

Suddenly, an eye appeared in the night sky.

Enor was already used to this.

"You promised me that you would help me clear obstacles in crucial moments!"

The eye opened: "Don't worry, as long as you do as I say, take control of the Kingdom of Delos, drive away the damned Church of Light, and let me harvest the power of faith, once I reshape my body into the Demon King, you will naturally receive your share of the benefits."

"Heh heh, the Demon King of Pain once dominated the continent, and I, as his eyes, witnessed that glory firsthand. Now, it's time for it to be relived!"

Enor was unaware of what had happened ten thousand years ago; he only cared about his own interests. This was true when he cooperated with Henry I, and it was true now when he sold himself to the evil god, only with a different target.

He firmly believed that he would lead the Kingdom of Delos to a new chapter in history!