Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Since there was important business to discuss, bringing along family members would be inconvenient. Astrid glanced at the wall clock, then turned toward Lyra and Amalia.

"Lady Charlotte needs me for something. I won't be dining with you tonight."

She gently stroked Amalia's head, then bent down to kiss the little girl's forehead, soothing her before asking Lyra to accompany the latter when she left. Then, led by the head maid, Astrid exited the storeroom.

Watching that elegant figure disappearing from sight, Lyra quietly turned back and whispered softly.

"Then, Livia, let's go together later."

"Mm."

Amalia also withdraws her gaze, timidly responding according to her usual persona.

Thirty minutes later, at a fancy restaurant, Astrid sat in a private room reserved in advance by Charlotte. Her slender arm propped her cheek as she gazed outside the third-floor window at the sinking sunset.

Autumn was giving way to winter, and nights in the capital city were arriving earlier than before. It wasn't even six o'clock yet, but the sun had already dwindled to just a faint sliver along the horizon.

The private room, equipped with fire-elemental crystals, not only offered excellent sound insulation but also maintained a constant indoor temperature ideal for humans. This was the inventor's magical device at work, conveniently providing comfort at this very moment.

The sharp tap of high heels against the floor tiles echoed loudly in her ears. Leaning against the windowsill, Astrid absentmindedly supported her legs. One soft, smooth black-stockinged foot peeked in and out of her heel, its clean, delicate instep exposed to the air like an exquisitely crafted Black Forest cake.

Not sure how long had passed, the private room door slowly opened. Astrid withdrew her gaze and lowered her crossed legs, her crimson eyes tenderly watching the person entering from outside.

Charlotte, not seen in a long time, wore a form-fitting dark purple gown. Her mature, alluring figure was wrapped in thin fabric, her snow-white skin gleaming like silk. Her long, ink-black hair cascaded down over her shoulders like jewels adorning flawless skin, thick, silky, and shimmering softly under the light.

"Long time no see, Lady Charlotte~"

Instead of simply expressing her longing with words, Astrid stood and slowly approached Charlotte, giving her a gentle embrace.

"Welcome back."

Feeling the warmth radiating from Astrid, Charlotte's expression softened involuntarily. Her arms wrapped around the girl's back as she whispered tenderly.

"We've finally met again, Little Astr."

Perhaps because it had been a whole year, Charlotte felt the girl in her arms had become even more beautiful than before, her presence and appearance alike now more dazzling.

"During my temporary absence from the capital, I've heard that Little Astr has accomplished quite a lot."

"Taking up Lady Fanya's former responsibilities, further improving magical devices, and gradually becoming the 'Radiant Navigator' praised by the upper nobility."

Intoxicating fragrance filled her nose, the soft rustling of silk between their legs fills the air. Holding Astrid close, Charlotte spoke softly.

"You've done wonderfully, Astrid."

Even more impressive than she'd imagined.

"Just flattery," Astrid replied.

The title "Radiant Navigator" was meant to praise Astrid for stepping into Charlotte's role over the past year and supporting the development of magical devices.

To many reformers, exploring new fields was like steering a massive ship through a sea shrouded in fog, Astrid Calliste was the helmswoman at the wheel.

After all, she was the daughter of the Arcanist mage Lady Fanya, the inventor of magical devices, and one of the creators of the magical device Fearless. With these dual identities, plus her outstanding contributions, such as improving the output efficiency of fire-elemental crystals and inventing a series of household appliances like hair dryers and dehumidifiers, she more than deserves the honor.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that many noble youths and young ladies now consider it an honor to be acquainted with the Third Princess. The former image of a spoiled, arrogant princess with nothing but beauty was gradually fading away.

Returning to the private room, the brief embrace ended. The two sat back down at the table. Astrid gazed at the stunning dark-haired beauty before her and softly asked,

"Was Lady Charlotte's journey successful?"

Although they had kept in contact through letters, the amount of information conveyed through writing could never match face-to-face conversation.

"Everything went well," Charlotte replied gently, her purple hair ribbon, embroidered with iris patterns, swaying slightly.

After the Competition ended, Hibbort had privately met with Charlotte and asked her to temporarily step down from her position as Professor of magic circles at Elizabeth Academy of Magic. He requested she travel to Duke Charles's territory to further research and improve magic-powered weapons.

That trip had lasted an entire year.

Hearing Charlotte's words, Astrid lifted her eyes and stared intently at her face. Only when Charlotte took a slightly awkward sip from her wine glass did Astrid finally look away.

"That's good."

Judging from Charlotte's condition, she probably hadn't encountered any major trouble.

"Since Lady Charlotte says so, I won't pry further," Astrid said, gripping the foot of her wine glass and clinking it gently against Charlotte's.

The research progress on magic-powered weapons was imperial classified information. Even as a high-ranking princess, she wasn't necessarily entitled to know such details.

After taking a small sip of wine, her lips became even more moist. Charlotte slowly opened her mouth.

"If Little Astr is truly curious, I could let you in on a little something."

Their relationship went far beyond ordinary political allies. Even Amalia's existence was something Astrid had never hidden from her. So, sharing part of this information wasn't a problem.

Astrid shook her head, her pink lips parting slightly.

"No need. If I need to know, I'll ask you directly."

"Learning too soon might lead to accidentally letting something slip, which could affect you."

Compared to curiosity, Astrid cares more about Charlotte's safety.

Hearing her younger relative repeatedly thinking of her, expressing such genuine concern, warmly welled up in Charlotte's heart. The emotions that rarely surfaced before others now rippled within her.

"Alright, I understand what Little Astr means."

Such a small, insignificant detail still brought deep comfort to her as an elder.

Astrid was growing more thoughtful.

"Let's not dwell on this. Little Astr, you should remember the matter I promised to investigate for you."

"Of course," Astrid nodded, softly uttering a sentence.

"Did Lady Charlotte find anything about the magic related to the term 'Moserria' in the Kingdom of Velys?"

During her previous conversation with the riddle-speaking Monica, Astrid had keenly noticed the subtle shift in the other's expression, leading her to suspect the Holy Church of Light held intelligence about Moserria.

"Mm, I've found some leads," Charlotte replied.

"According to information from my informant, within the old scriptures preserved inside the Holy Church of Light, there are fragments mentioning the name Moserria."

"The text refers to 'Him' as the 'right hand of the Creator God,' a follower of the Great Existence, a servant god accompanying the Lord's descent into the world, the sharpest sword and spear."

Astrid's delicate brows slightly furrowed as she lightly touched the side of her wine glass.

So her guess was correct, Moserria was indeed someone's name, and it was deeply connected to the Holy Church of Light.

A follower of the Great Existence... a servant god accompanying the Lord's descent...

Seeing Astrid lost in thought, staring at her wine glass, Charlotte paused her explanation. Only when the silver-haired girl's eyes refocused did she continue.

"According to the old scriptures, Moserria was the servant god closest to the Lord of All Things. Thus, the authority 'He' wielded was light, the power to illuminate the world and guide all beings."

"After reaching the rank of bishop, clergy members may access additional light-element magic from the Church's collection, including spells named after Moserria."

"For example, the high-tier Arcanist mage spell [Moserria's Holy Hymn], and the forbidden-level magic [Moserria Seated Upon the Blazing Sun]…"

Such high-level light-element magic was rare in the Valeria Empire, where there was no widespread faith in the Light. No wonder Astrid hadn't been able to find similar spells before.

Compared to these powerful spells, the mere mid-tier magnus-level [Moserria's Holy Judgment Sword] seemed oddly out of place.

Hearing this, Astrid slowly spoke.

"In other words, Moserria once truly exists, and these spells named after 'Him' are very likely related to 'Him'."

"It's even possible they were 'His' original creations."

Following this logic, the holy relic possessed by the Holy Church of Light and the Sword of Light held by Lyra were of the same origin. That relic was most likely the remnant of the so-called servant god Moserria. A blade originally belonging to Moserria, re-creating the magic 'He' once invented, resonance effects would naturally be expected.

"That's exactly what I think," Charlotte nodded gently in agreement.

"The only regret is that we can't obtain the specific magic circles and incantations of these spells, let alone their ancient-language incantations."

"Otherwise, Little Astr might have been able to discern something from them."

As an ordinary person born in this age, Charlotte was also affected by some kind of inhibitory force, making it impossible for her to accurately translate ancient-language incantations. Even if Astrid temporarily taught her to read them, she would quickly forget within a short time.

Fortunately, although she forgot, the insights Astrid gained from analyzing ancient incantations still greatly benefited Charlotte. That was the main reason she had rapidly advanced to middle tier Arcanist mage.

"Knowing this much is already difficult enough, Lady Charlotte," Astrid said.

The intelligence provided far exceeded her expectations. Astrid was even curious about who exactly this informant was, someone with such power to obtain such classified information.

Noticing Astrid's confusion, Charlotte explained gently.

"The informant is a regional bishop within the Holy Church of Light. This undercover operation has been managed by Duke Charles himself, so its reliability is unquestionable."

The Valeria Empire undoubtedly had spies planted by the Kingdom of Velys, and likewise, the Church had many of their own agents embedded. Before formal war broke out, information warfare always began first.

"I see."

Astrid took another sip of red wine, modified crossing her black-stockinged legs beneath the table.

Seeing Astrid seemed to have figured something out, Charlotte gently asked,

"Has Little Astr discovered anything new?"

"What, still hiding things from me?"

Her tone carried a hint of playful teasing, though thanks to Charlotte's naturally soft voice and strong feminine charm, it wasn't too noticeable.

"No, I just thought of something else," Astrid shook her head, then spoke.

"You might have already forgotten the matter about that stone tablet I told you about."

"Stone tablet?"

Charlotte paused briefly in thought, then quickly recalled what Astrid meant.

The ancient stone tablet that Evelyn had included in the entrance exam's written section. As a bonus question, none of the examinees had answered the ancient-language inscription correctly, including Astrid, who had deliberately left it blank for safety reasons.

Astrid had later translated it for her. The meaning of that ancient-language line was...

What was it again...

Charlotte rubbed her forehead, her eyes deep in thought. Astrid, meanwhile, calmly provided the answer.

"The tablet mentioned, 'You are the beginning of all things, and the end of all things. You are the mother of all, the father of gods.'"

"This kind of inscription perfectly matches the Holy Church of Light's internal description of the so-called 'Lord.' It's hard not to connect the two."

"If 'mother of all' means 'He' created the world we know today, then 'father of gods' should refer to 'Him' being the leader of numerous servant deities, including Moserria."

With that, everything makes sense.

"The 'Lord' worshiped by the Holy Church of Light is highly likely the same entity pointed to by the tablet. And 'He' lived before the Cataclysm, in that ancient era when ancient humans thrived."

In this fantasy world filled with spirit power and magic, gods weren't necessarily just objects of faith. They most likely exist as real beings who occasionally respond to their followers' prayers. Moserria, Grace, perhaps they were all real individuals who once existed.

"Wait, if it's truly as Little Astr says..."

Charlotte parted her lips, her voice low.

"If Moserria was an ancient human who lived before the Cataclysm, yet records of 'Him' exist in the Holy Church of Light's old scriptures..."

"Then the only person who could have crossed the Cataclysm and remained active across both eras..."

"...would seem to be just one."

The creator of the modern magical system, acknowledged by countless mages, the Spell creator Lady Gemini.

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Gods have no gender at least till they didn't appear in reality. So don't confuse if I use 'He' for them.