The Milis Holy Kingdom worships the god Milis, but as for who the Pope is, no one really cares.
Once the beast tide strikes, the Milis Holy Kingdom is bound to fall into chaos, and those lurking in the shadows will naturally seize this opportunity to act.
If the old Pope is taken out, the religious order will fall under their control. So what if the old Pope's grandson returns? They can just kill him too.
As for how many innocent lives their plan will cost, that's not something they care about at all.
The transition of power and status has always been built on a mountain of corpses. Without some sacrifice, how can great things be achieved?
Moreover, if the beast tide devastates the kingdom, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for these religious rebels.
Don't ask why—they're part of the religious order. To put it nicely, they're noble believers; to put it bluntly, they're just high-level charlatans.
After taking out the old Pope and seizing control of the religious order, the fastest way to stabilize the situation is to perform miracles and offer aid, demonstrating the compassion expected of the religious order.
Once the monsters have ravaged the kingdom, they can then appear as "saviors," driving out the rampaging beasts and aiding the wounded citizens. This would instantly boost their faith and reputation!
The internal conflicts within the Milis Holy Kingdom are growing increasingly severe. The rebels have their script ready, and even some of the noble families within the kingdom are sensing the impending storm.
The Latroya family, one of the largest families in the Milis Holy Kingdom, is no exception. The family head, Claire, who is also Wood and Rudy's grandmother, has long noticed that something is amiss.
The Latroya family, including Zenith, are devout followers of Milis and supporters of the religious order. If something were to happen to the old Pope, their family would not be spared.
In fact, half a month ago, members of the religious order visited the Latroya family, subtly hinting at their intentions and hoping the family would "know what's good for them."
But Claire is a stubborn and serious woman, as evidenced by the fact that she held a grudge against her daughter for over a decade.
Being extremely stubborn and valuing family honor, Claire would never side with the rebels. She made it clear, albeit subtly, that her family would stand with the religious order.
The visitors left in anger, and for the past half month, there had been no further contact. But Claire is no fool. Having managed the family for so many years, her political instincts are sharp.
Sensing that something big was about to happen, she quickly called back her fourth daughter, Therese Latroya, who served as a captain in the Holy Knights, and urged her to leave the Milis Holy Kingdom to seek refuge with her other daughter, Zenith.
Though Claire appears strict and inflexible, she is undoubtedly a mother who deeply loves her daughters.
Valuing family honor and tradition, she cannot bear to see the Latroya name, inherited from her husband, tarnished. She won't side with the rebels, nor will she abandon the Milis religious order, but she also doesn't want her daughter to stay and die.
So, when she sensed that the Milis Holy Kingdom might soon face turmoil, she made the decisive choice to stay and protect the Latroya family while sending her daughter Therese away to safety.
As a captain in the Holy Knights, Therese is upright and serious, inheriting Claire's and her sister Zenith's shared stubbornness. Upon hearing her mother's words, she naturally opposed the idea.
"Mother, it's your decision to stand with the religious order, and I won't interfere. But asking me to flee like a coward is out of the question!
The Pope's faction isn't any good either. They treat the poor Holy Maiden as nothing more than a tool. I've long been disgusted by their actions…"
Slap!
Before Therese could finish, her fair cheek was struck by Claire's unforgiving hand.
"Whether it's the Pope's faction or the rebels, it doesn't matter much to the Latroya family. We worship Milis.
But sometimes, when you bear the weight of a family, you have no choice. You're still too young, and I won't blame you for not understanding this.
But this time, you must obey my command and leave the Milis Holy Kingdom. Don't be as stubborn as your sister Zenith!
If something happens to me, who will inherit the Latroya family? Zenith? She's a Greyrat now.
If Wood were still alive, I would have gladly let him inherit the Latroya family, but now there's no other choice."
The Latroya family has only a few children. Some died in battle, others are busy with business, and the only ones with any real talent or strength left are Zenith and Therese.
Claire once had high hopes for Zenith, but unfortunately, her daughter went through a rebellious phase, quietly leaving home and marrying without a word.
It wasn't until ten years later, when they met again, that Claire learned she was already a grandmother to several children.
Claire was furious with her rebellious daughter, but the only consolation was that Zenith's children—her grandchildren—were all well-behaved and exceptional.
Claire had never met Rudy, the older twin, but she was exceptionally pleased with Wood, the second son of the Greyrat family.
At just eleven or twelve years old, Wood had already achieved the swordsmanship level of a "Sword Saint" and mastered multiple attributes of "Saint-level" magic.
What's more, the boy was not only talented and powerful but also possessed an impeccable character and maturity beyond his years.
Claire had always considered herself a harsh and demanding person, but even she could find no obvious flaws in her grandson.
In terms of combat prowess and talent, Wood's abilities might not be unmatched in the world, but among all the young people Claire had seen, none could compare to him.
Besides his strength, Wood, despite his young age, had a vast knowledge of various subjects and had even learned multiple languages. His demeanor was also remarkably mature for his age.
Even in terms of etiquette, Wood had perfectly inherited all of Zenith's best qualities, even surpassing his mother.
If not for Wood's resemblance to Zenith, Claire might have doubted that he was even her daughter's child.
After all, aside from noble etiquette, whether it was intelligence, strength, or interpersonal skills, Zenith wasn't fit to hold a candle to Wood.
Claire had always been fond of this exceptional grandson and had even considered letting him inherit the prestigious Latroya family.
But two years ago, they received tragic news from Zenith: her beloved and proud grandson had met with an accident and died.
Upon hearing this, Claire and Therese were deeply depressed for several days, as they too had grown very fond of their grandson (nephew).
Therese, her cheek still red from the slap, wanted to argue further but fell silent upon seeing her mother's resolute expression.
Unlike her runaway sister Zenith, Therese, having grown up at home, knew how much her mother had sacrificed for the family.
Now, her mother was willing to stay and face death for the honor of the Latroya family. If she continued to be stubborn, she would truly be betraying Claire's years of nurturing.
The Latroya family was indeed at a crossroads. One of Therese's sisters had died in battle, and another, who was involved in business, had no talent for magic or swordsmanship, making her unfit to inherit the family.
Zenith had married Paul, and her son Rudy was destined to inherit the Greyrat family. So, the only one left to shoulder the family's burden was Therese.
After a moment of contemplation, Therese finally gritted her teeth and agreed to her mother's final request. Moreover, since she was fleeing the Milis Holy Kingdom, she decided to rescue the Holy Maiden as well.
The so-called "Holy Maiden" was a pitiful girl who had even lost her name. Since being recruited by the religious order, she had been treated as nothing more than a tool, despite her high status within the order.
The Holy Maiden possessed a unique ability called "Memory Reading," which allowed her to see the memories of anyone she made eye contact with.
As the Holy Maiden was under the protection of the Holy Knights, Therese had come to know her and learned of her plight, always wanting to save her from her suffering.
This time, since her mother had ordered her to flee the Milis Holy Kingdom, and the conflict between the Pope's faction and the rebels had reached a boiling point, Therese decided to rescue the Holy Maiden as well.
If the Holy Maiden stayed, she would only continue to be a tragic tool for either faction, so Therese thought it best to take her along.
"Therese, you should just leave me behind. If you take me with you, you'll never escape their pursuit.
Don't you have the responsibility of inheriting the Latroya family? If you die here, your family will have nothing left."
On a small path in the Milis Holy Kingdom, two golden-haired beauties were riding a white horse, desperately fleeing.
One of them wore silver armor emblazoned with the emblem of the Milis religious order, while the other was a girl of about eleven or twelve, riding behind the knight.
The knight was none other than Therese Latroya, and the younger girl was the so-called "Holy Maiden."
After accepting her mother's final command, Therese had decided to leave the Milis Kingdom for the sake of her mother and the Latroya family.
Before leaving the holy kingdom, Therese used her position as a Holy Knight to meet the Holy Maiden within the religious order and successfully brought her out.
But their actions were quickly discovered, and the religious order began hunting them down.
The Holy Maiden's unique ability was too important to the religious order, so neither the Pope's faction nor the rebels were willing to let her go.
To escape the pursuit, Therese had to take small paths under the cover of night, passing through forests in an attempt to use the monsters as obstacles to shake off their pursuers.
However, she hadn't anticipated that the rebels, in preparation for their coup, had already orchestrated the beast tide. The number of monsters in the forest had increased tenfold.
The rebels, knowing this in advance, had already withdrawn from the chase, reluctantly giving up on the Holy Maiden.
But Therese and the Pope's faction, unaware of the situation, had plunged into the forest and were now surrounded by monsters.
To the rebels, losing the Holy Maiden was unfortunate, but taking out a squad of Holy Knights was still a win.
Therese, however, hadn't expected that her plan to use the monsters to hinder the Holy Knights would backfire, leaving her and the Holy Maiden as targets as well.
Facing the "Rock Python" and "Saber-Toothed Tiger," monsters whose danger and strength were second only to dragons, Therese wore a bitter smile.
"Even if I wanted to leave alone now, there's little chance of survival.
This time, it's my fault. If it weren't for me, even without freedom, you could have lived safely within the religious order.
My mother probably never imagined that after entrusting me with the responsibility of inheriting the Latroya family, I would die before her."
Therese's face showed a look of despair. She never expected things to turn out this way.
She couldn't save anyone and had only dragged others down with her.
"No, Therese, I'm grateful that you saved me. Being treated as a tool is worse than death.
And if I can die with you, I'm actually quite happy."
Though Therese knew the Holy Maiden was just trying to comfort her, it did make her feel a bit better. She drew her knight's sword and charged at the Rock Python, which was flicking its tongue at them.
Even if she was no match for it, she couldn't just wait for death. At the very least, she would take down these two monsters, giving the Holy Maiden a better chance of survival.
But just as Therese charged at the Rock Python, a sharp blade of light suddenly shot from another direction, striking the python with incredible speed…
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