Symphony for the Insect Princess

In the border battlefield, for the sake of convenience, the strongest combat force in each world is called the "Supreme".

Maya's strongest person would definitely be a top-notch person in other human worlds, strong enough to overwhelm hundreds of supreme beings in other worlds.

...In other words, although the Supreme Beings of more than 500 worlds are no match for the Great Sage and the Great War Emperor, there are still dozens who can fight them to a draw, and there are about a dozen Supreme Beings who are more powerful than them, and some who are so powerful that they can even crush them like ants.

Not long after the gate to the world was opened, Maya's great war emperor, the "Virtual Whale Knight" Osho Sistarinch, was defeated and killed in a battle with other supreme beings, and his proud mythical mount, the "Virtual Whale", was also dismembered and eaten by several supreme beings from the wild world who were watching at the time.

This way of death is totally unbecoming of the title of "Great War Emperor". It is not an exaggeration to call it a farce that makes people laugh and cry.

Since then, the only supreme being of Maya is the great sage "The Rainbow Witch" Dei Attenville Balzac. Over the past decade, she has worked tirelessly to make up for the gap left by Osho's death. At the same time, she has to fight for Maya's interests on the border battlefield as a representative. Even she is becoming increasingly unable to cope with the situation.

There are still countless headaches in the world.

It's not just about the border battlefield, there are also countless internal troubles in the world.

For example, Maya began to suffer from illness three years ago.

Most of Plein and Afrista, eastern Balbra, and several large islands of Osleva were shrouded in the shadow of the plague.

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On Praen, one of the two continents in the central Maya, a convoy of people all wearing white robes slowly passed by a small town by the sea.

The slightly fishy sea breeze blew through the town, the bright sunshine cast green shadows through the leaves, and the houses built with mud and sand mixed with shells looked like the homes of sirens in fairy tales.

The scenery is so beautiful.

But it can't cover up the deadness here.

People infected with the plague are also struggling to survive here today.

On the steps under the eaves were people wrapped in cloaks in groups of three or four. They were talking in hoarse and weak voices, and coughing sharply from time to time. Their faces and arms exposed under the cloaks had ugly purple-black markings, and their skin was a lifeless leaden gray.

Occasionally someone would pass by the street in a hurry, covering their body with their coat and wiping the blood they coughed up with a handkerchief from time to time.

The old man, whose face was almost covered with wrinkles, opened the window. The early morning sunshine did not make him feel better. He looked at his reflection in the window glass and let out a deep sigh.

A town ravaged by the plague, and people suffering from the plague.

To prevent the plague from spreading, the town had already been quarantined and they couldn't leave at all.

Therefore, when this foreign carriage team happened to pass by here, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"This, this is-"

"Could it be that--"

The caravan was small, but extremely well-equipped. Each knight rode a tall, snow-white steed and wore gleaming silver armor. The carriages sandwiched between the knights were also pure ivory white, devoid of luxurious ornamentation but imbued with a solemn air.

"God... Lord God Envoy?"

"real!"

"It's the priests!"

"Praise the magic goddess Smilla! Praise the god of life Leon!"

"The gods have not abandoned this town!"

"Please! Please!"

"Our child has also been infected with the plague. Please... at least cure him..."

"Stop the car! Please stop the car!"

Faced with the townspeople pouring in like a tide, the leading female knight showed an expression of pity for a moment, but she immediately regained her seriousness.

"Please be quiet and stay away from——"

“Please!!!”

"Save my husband and children!"

"My father! He's only breathing his last breath!"

"Please! Please! Please!!"

Seeing that they had no intention of stopping, the townspeople became even more frightened. They surrounded the convoy and knelt down and kowtowed desperately. Faced with this scene, the female knight rubbed her brows helplessly.

(I know, I know! As God's servants, we can't just sit back and do nothing! But...)

Although the area covered by the plague has decreased recently, the overall situation is still not optimistic. There are many small towns like this. If we have to stop and treat them every time we pass through one...

(Simply exorcising the disease isn't enough; formal rituals must be performed to protect this place from the plague for a long time. However, that would be too time-consuming, and if we were to do it city by city, it would be endless...)

at this time--

"Enough! Please stop the car!"

The moment the beautiful girl's voice sounded, all the knights stopped moving forward reflexively. Then they reacted and heard an argument in the carriage.

"Lady Saint, please don't—"

"But these people..."

"We're still on our way! The epidemic in the capital of the Kingdom of Azera is our priority. We can't keep stopping in places like this! Please recognize the bigger picture!"

"But...but..."

The quarrel in the carriage lasted for a while, then fell into silence, and then the carriage door was suddenly opened.

A girl in a white robe appeared.

She is an extremely beautiful girl who fully deserves the title of "Saint".

The long light brown hair, which was almost white, reflected the sunlight, shining like a golden waterfall.

The eyes of the same color seemed like finely polished gemstones, emitting a pure light.

Her snow-white skin is flawless, and her perfectly proportioned facial features are embellished on her small cheeks, making her both beautiful and cute.

Although the white robe is loose, the girl's figure can still be vaguely seen.

Just by her presence there, the victims seemed to forget their illness and pain, staring blankly at this angelic girl.

"It's the Saint Lady..."

I don't know who spoke first, but the buzzing sound spread, and the victims couldn't believe their eyes. They had all heard of her fame, but never imagined seeing her in person so close. They had just been desperately trying to surround the convoy, but now they all stopped at the same time, not daring to act rashly.

"Sir... please... please..."

At this moment, an old man with a wrinkled face was the first to move. He staggered forward, like a moving skeleton. The plague had ravaged him so deeply that even his sanity could no longer be maintained. The old man simply instinctively sought salvation from the saint. He trembled and reached before the girl, extending his spotted and grimy hand.

"and many more--"

Seeing this, the knight beside him immediately stood in front of him and drew his sword, but the girl rushed forward first -

——Then, without hesitation, she used her jade-like little hand to hold the old man's dirty and ugly big hand.

"Oh no, the situation is very dangerous. If we delay for a few more days, it will be too late... But it's okay, it's okay, I'm here..."

She comforted the old man softly, and a faint golden light appeared on her hands. The spots on the old man's hands disappeared immediately, and even the wrinkles were reduced, as if he had instantly become twenty years younger.

The victims were stunned.

Just contact, no chanting, no spells, no potions, no complicated rituals, can instantly eliminate the disease.

It's simply a miracle.

There are only a handful of magicians in the world who can do this, and only one of them is a girl who is not yet an adult.

"Lady Saint...it's really Lady Saint!"

Everyone was excited and the victims were cheering. The mere fact of seeing the legendary saint with their own eyes made their spirits extremely lifted. This town that had been devastated by the plague was finally coming back to life.

Amidst the jubilation, a middle-aged man in his fifties leaned out of the carriage, frowned, leaned close to the girl's ear, and whispered, "I have reminded you many times, Saint Lady, please recognize the overall situation."

"But if you can't even save the person in front of you, what's the point of being called a Saint?"

The girl flinched for a moment, but still looked at the man bravely.

"...Never mind. It's come to this. Looks like we'll have to delay this for another day."

The middle-aged man, High Priest Shandoba Muller, snorted softly and said no more.

The female knight who had been leading the group earlier, Deputy Chief of the Paladins, Yaldo Gran, looked at Shandoba with her eyes slightly narrowed, and then her gaze shifted to the girl surrounded by the victims.

"Lord Saint..."

Chapter 25: The Melancholy of a Saint (Part )

The girl's smile was always so heartwarming. She was incredibly patient with every disaster victim's request, tirelessly offering a helping hand to everyone. The other knights kept a respectful distance from the girl, wanting to be able to protect her immediately in the event of an emergency. However, this was likely unfounded worry, as even the most ruthless criminals would become as docile as a kitten in the presence of the Saint.

The new saint of the Pantheon - Winnie Lebenhold.

She is sixteen years old now and officially ascended the throne of the Saint not long ago. Her family has been landed nobles for more than three generations, but by her generation, the noble title has long been a decoration. Apart from her relatively wealthy family background, she is no different from ordinary people. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that she is an extremely rare "illegitimate" Saint.

Three years ago, a widespread plague caught every nation off guard. It was too sudden, too swift, and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in an instant. The Pantheon, the Tower of Babel, and the Knights' Territory issued emergency notices almost simultaneously, and their affiliated local associations dispatched numerous skilled magicians, potion masters, priests, and alchemists to conduct research on the epidemic. However, no one could fully understand the cause of the plague. Furthermore, because the pathogens of the plague varied from place to place, existing healing magic was insufficient to meet the demand, and research on new magic and medicines to combat it was also slow.

And in the second year after the plague broke out, the Pantheon discovered the girl.

In the southeastern part of the Ainiver Empire, a neighboring kingdom of the Kingdom of Aaron, a single city, amidst the plague-ravaged cities, remained uninfected, catching the attention of the Pantheon. Within a month, this fourteen-year-old girl's fame spread far and wide. Her strong affinity for sacred magic, the unparalleled talent she displayed after being inducted into the Pantheon, the admiration of the elders, and her extensive travels to eradicate the plague—all these factors brought this young woman unparalleled fame. Driven by countless fervor, she became the new Saint within just two years of joining the Pantheon.

Thanks to her traveling around the front lines to fight the plague, important cities in major countries have been spared from the plague. Now she is not only the backbone of the fight against the plague, but also a spiritual symbol of the people. She also has many supporters within the Pantheon.

(But, sometimes being too good can also bring trouble...)

Yaldur placed his hand on the hilt of the knight's sword and sighed softly.

High Priest Shandobba Muller was not a man to be taken lightly. His abilities as a High Priest were indeed exceptional, but his political maneuvering was even more masterful. If nothing unexpected had happened, the position of Saint would have been held by his own daughter, but instead, it was taken by the unexpectedly powerful Winnie. While Winnie possessed remarkable achievements, immense popularity, and was the youngest mage in the world, her experience was ultimately limited. Her swift ascent to power was in part due to the covert support of a rival faction within Shandobba.

The illegitimate girl helped the victims with pure kindness, but in the end she was just a pawn in the power struggle within the Pantheon. This fact made Yaldur very sad.

at dusk--

"...The God of Life, Lien, bestows his grace, and the Goddess of Fertility, Ansuna, bestows her blessings, freeing all living beings from all suffering."

In the town's central square, surrounded by the victims, Winnie finally finished her final prayer. As she finished speaking, a holy light emanated from her body. Golden lines formed a complex magic circle that enveloped the town before dissolving into space and disappearing.

"Okay, that's all. From now on, there won't be any plague here for the next fifty years."

Winnie stood up, looking a little tired but very happy. The victims around her cheered in unison, praising her strength and virtue as if she were not a saint but the god herself. Winnie just smiled, neither accepting nor denying their praise, and gently pushed through the crowd and returned to the convoy.

At this moment, when she was sure that people could no longer hear her, worry appeared on her face. As a saint, she must not spread negative emotions to the people, not even with a single expression - she was aware of this.

"Thank you for your hard work, Saint Lady."

"Well...thank you, Sister Yaerduo."

Winnie took the towel she handed her and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Even such a simple action could make people fascinated. Although Yaerduo was also a woman, she couldn't help but admire from the bottom of her heart.

"Um, Sister Yaerduo..."

"exist."

"Did I...do something wrong?"

"..."

The girl sighed as she carefully folded the towel and put it down.

She could single-handedly erect a barrier to protect human settlements from the plague, but whether it was a large city or a small town, it would take half a day to a day. This was already the third time she had stopped in a small town along the way, which meant that her journey was already three days later than expected.

How many people would die in three days in a large city with a population of hundreds of thousands that was shrouded in plague? It was difficult to estimate the exact number, but it was certainly more than the combined total of these small towns.

In order to save the life in front of you, you lose more lives that you could have saved instinctively. This... must be wrong.

But on the other hand, is it right to ignore the victims in front of us in order to save more lives?

"Don't think about it anymore, Saint Lady."

A paladin brought a coat, and Yaerduo helped Winnie put it on with a wry smile on his face.

"Some things cannot be measured by right or wrong. Perhaps sometimes I am not mature enough, but... Saint Lady, your kindness in saving all living beings is by no means wrong."

"Well...thank you, Sister Yaerduo."

The melancholy on Winnie's face finally eased. She quickly adjusted her mood and expressed her condolences to the knights who had been guarding around (everyone was very happy, except Shandoba who had a forced smile). Then the convoy quickly set off to its destination amid the people's farewell.

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At the back of the convoy, several knights were talking in low voices.

"Thank you for your hard work, Saint Lady..."

"While she is admirable, isn't she trying too hard?"

"I think so too. If this continues, my body will eventually give out."