Chapter 653 - 651: The Most Powerful Empire?
"I mean, has Ms. Melina recently entered menopause or something? She seems a bit off lately?"
Hilia repeated the previous words with some minor modifications.
"Menopause? Maybe." Benovia nodded. "She just returned not long ago, maybe she’s eager to take over the camp’s work quickly."
"What? Just returned?" Hilia was surprised.
"Yeah, before she defied everyone and handed over her work to the lieutenant, she went on vacation within the Elf Race territory, oh, no, she went to protect you."
"Huh? Protect me? Seriously?"
Hilia was stunned.
Previously, she heard from Rose that the Holy Court had sent someone to secretly protect her, but she hadn’t thought about who it was. She hadn’t imagined it was Melina?
No, the dignified head of the Law Enforcement Knight Order doesn’t seem to have that much free time. How could she have the leisure to go protect me?
Hilia was puzzled.
Benovia shrugged. "Who knows, maybe the Holy Court is short on manpower. It’s not like Tier Six Mages come by easily."
"It’s not so necessary to use a Tier Six for protection, right..."
Hilia was a bit embarrassed.
"Not necessarily, what you’ve done could shake the Elf Royal Court’s rule. They would definitely want to kill you or scare you away. Either would allow them to spin the story to regain their credibility. But you, you’ve gone around the Elf Forest and accomplished the incredible feat of healing most cities."
Benovia exclaimed.
"That act, even if the future doesn’t allow the elves to acknowledge the Holy Court, establishes a Divine Hall within the Elf Race. It’s a major achievement, and becoming the Holy Daughter is already certain!"
"This..."
Upon reflection, Hilia found her actions absurd, likely making her well-known not just within the Elf Race but also in other empires.
A kind and helpful prospective Holy Daughter. If the Holy Court has any willpower, they couldn’t possibly ignore her.
Especially after a nonchalant remark from Mr. Blake, which made the relationships among the five candidate Holy Daughters very close. Seeing what Hilia had accomplished, the others might have thoughts of giving up the competition.
"That’s odd. In past elections, the Holy Daughter competition was intense. Why don’t you have any thoughts?" Hilia muttered.
Benovia thought for a moment, "Perhaps Encore and Doris still have thoughts about it. I never wanted to be the Holy Daughter and be in the spotlight. As for Phil, what she’s done is too trivial compared to you. And knowing Phil’s temperament, bully her a bit, she might give up the election."
Hilia rolled her eyes. "Bully Phil, I’m afraid her dad will kill me. Even if he doesn’t, those in Huijin City who’ve benefited from Phil would surely beat me up."
"They can’t beat you, don’t worry."
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Earlier, when Melina left, she asked me to go with you to the first house in Area 3 and retrieve something. I’m not familiar with the camp; could you take me?"
"The first house in Area 3?"
Benovia pondered for a moment, uncertain. "Isn’t that Melina’s residence?"
"What?"
While heading out, Hilia paused, surprised, and looked back at Benovia.
"Seriously?"
Benovia’s curiosity was piqued.
"She actually asked you to go to her residence to get something? And she mentioned me. It means the item is related to you and me. Come on, I want to see what it is too."
So under Benovia’s guidance, Hilia arrived at the house Melina had mentioned.
Benovia went up and knocked on the door. It wasn’t locked; a gentle push opened it.
The two walked in, only to see Melina sitting in a tidy room.
Upon seeing them enter, she stood up and pointed to the sofa on the other side, "Sit."
The leather sofa felt soft, making it unclear where Melina had it brought from.
Seeing Melina, Hilia realized the so-called item might not exist; perhaps Melina just wanted to talk to them.
So, she and Benovia obediently sat on the sofa opposite Melina, looking at her.
Hilia asked, "What is the ’item’ that Ms. Melina mentioned?"
Melina looked at them without answering, instead asking, "How much do you know about the current situation of the Holy Court?"
Hilia blinked, not quite understanding Melina’s question.
Benovia seemed thoughtful.
"Benovia seems to know something, Hilia probably doesn’t."
Melina observed their expressions, understanding their situations.
Hilia cautiously asked, "What aspect of the situation does Ms. Melina refer to?"
Melina stood up and walked to the window of the house, looking outside with her back to Hilia and Benovia.
"Hilia, what you’ve accomplished is not only well-known within the Elf Race but worldwide. They now know there’s a kind-hearted Holy Daughter emerging. Do you understand what this means?"
"It means... my chances of winning are higher?"
"Yes, and no."
Melina turned around to face them.
"The election concerns me not. I am unsure who the final decision between the Holy Master and the current Holy Daughter, along with the archbishops, will favor. After all, the decision requires the consensus of the Holy Master Connor, who also serves as the Divine Archbishop, along with the other eleven archbishops. My support alone may not be enough; you’ll need the backing of other archbishops."
Saying that, Melina shook her head.
"Apart from that, there’s a more important matter I need to discuss with you."
Hilia instantly sat up straight, indicating her attentiveness.
"Since the Holy Daughter is busy and other archbishops have their affairs, coupled with some internal... competition, this matter falls on me to relay."
Melina’s expression grew serious.
"You need to be wary of actions from other factions within the Holy Court, and also, the distant Phoenix Kingdom in the west, might make moves."
Phoenix Kingdom, the earliest independent empire, geographically situated to the northwest of the Star Fall Continent, bordering the Beastman Empire and Northern Alliance, not adjacent to the Ista Empire; yet the Holy Court considers the Phoenix Kingdom its greatest adversary.
Because the Phoenix Kingdom is the strongest human empire on the Star Fall Continent, followed by Ista, Blue Dragon, Lion Heart, and Northern Alliance.
As for the Beastmen and Elves, the human world doesn’t factor them into their power evaluation.
"Starting with the Phoenix Kingdom, every Holy Daughter election, they intervene during the final stages, despite facing strong adversaries from the distant sea, they consistently interfere."
"This is rather confidential; only major archbishops, the current Holy Daughter, and Holy Master know it."
"This term is unique. It’s as though you truly received the Pantheon’s blessing. You’ve emerged noticeably within the Elf Race, and as you grow, they’ll definitely act prematurely."
"Originally, this matter should be disclosed during your election, but now, I’m compelled to warn you early, for the Phoenix Kingdom has noted the Elf Race crisis. They might abstain from intervening, but we must prepare for their potential interference."
"In essence, Hilia, it’s best you avoid the Elf Race territory recently."