Chapter 41: The Prophecy and the Truth of the Past

After Teresa refused Fen’s proposal for the second time, their confrontation reached an impasse.

It would take some time for Yang Hao to return with his men, and it would be impolite to leave the reception room without permission.

So Teresa couldn’t simply leave. She could only sit restlessly in her seat, silently praying for the “Light” to die out quickly so she could completely abandon her dreams of restoring her country and religion, and live a peaceful life with Yang Hao.

As for Fen, her successive setbacks in achieving her goals this time would have frustrated even the most humble being. Yet, as an observer of Teresa and Yang Hao’s relationship, Fen could only feel envy and amazement.

Elves were not strangers to love stories where one chose love over national duty.

Nor were they unfamiliar with family bonds where one chose to protect family over saving the world.

But someone like Teresa, who harbored conflicting desires to restore her country, revive her faith, and protect the man by her side—struggled with these twisted and painful emotions. Going so far as to curse her deity in the faintest whispers to die quickly so she could give up completely.

This was something Fen had never encountered before.

It was precisely because of this distortion that Teresa exuded a twisted beauty at this moment. She resembled a statue.

A statue imbued with hope, disappointment in herself, pain, yearning, and finally, a mixture of stubbornness and tenderness—a twisted statue of emotions.

Fragile, yet beautiful. Weak, yet strong.

And the person who had turned her into this state was the same man she desperately wanted to bring to Caparia.

How ironic.

“I don’t know how to put it,” Fen sighed. As the words left her mouth, she realized she had caught Teresa’s attention.

After a moment of thought, Fen, still unwilling to give up, decided to use this unexpected situation to continue.

“The prophecy clearly says that the last Purple Princess will rebuild Bayerzost. But from your thoughts, Princess, it seems you don’t intend to do that, do you?”

“After all, prophecies are deceptive.”

“Perhaps the prophecy you heard differs from the one the elves have preserved?”

“Then why don’t you tell me what your prophecy says? All I know is what I heard from my parents, who died long ago. They said that I would cause some significant upheaval in November this year and rally the underground populace. They even said I would spend my life with a successful man, becoming the new empire’s Caesar and emperor.”

Fen blinked, then said, “Perhaps the prophecy you heard had some omissions?”

As it turns out, this was a prophecy given by Constantine XII, the last emperor of the Bayerzost Empire, as he dragged the core of the demonic disaster and his nation into the depths of the earth. This prophecy was made before the city sank, before he perished along with the ruling demon of the demonic disaster.

In the story, the emperor of Bayerjans denounced the shamelessness of the traitors and condemned the filth and depravity of the false god.

He openly cursed the traitors who stabbed the empire in the back and the scoundrels who usurped the power of Light with all manner of profanities.

In the prophecy, he swore by blood that the traitor’s empire would split during its unification and then be destroyed once again after the split.

And that filthy false god would disappear in one war after another, leaving no shrines or tombs behind, utterly erasing any trace of its existence from the world.

At the same time, Constantine XII prophesied that the last Purple Princess would reclaim the power of Light, announce her ascension to the throne with a brilliant beam of light, and rebuild the great empire with the last of its people. But the prophecy was not entirely complete.

“My parents seemed to have an incomplete second part of the prophecy. Just as I mentioned earlier, it said I would spend my life with a successful man.”

“And this…”

“What successful man do I have? I only have a down-and-out little puppy. We share the same fate. How could that be considered as being with a Caesar and an emperor?”

At this point, Teresa shrugged.

“In Bayerzost, let’s set aside Emperor for now. Caesar was the second most powerful person in the empire, holding military power, leading the empire’s progress, and possessing almost equal rights to the Emperor. The only connection I have to the Emperor is that besides being the last princess, I am also the last nun of the Church of Light, which barely counts as a connection. But do you think he qualifies?”

“I think you are avoiding reality, Purple Princess.”

“This is reality. A final nun and princess, forced to pretend to convert just to survive. If it weren’t for the monastery at home, I would probably be living like a cavewoman. And a former Regent, betrayed and humiliated, reduced to chopping wood and patching up a rundown monastery with planks to cover the drafts, previously posing as an unknown woodcutter to survive. Without the elves’ secret protection, he probably wouldn’t have made it back to our village alive. You tell me, which of us is a successful person? Which of us aligns with the prophecy? So, prophecies are all lies. Although it sounds like an interesting story, such things will never actually happen. And that beam of light is even more ridiculous. Just casting ‘Tranquility’ on him every day nearly drains half my divine power, and you expect me to have the ability to create a sky-reaching beam of light? It’s more realistic to tell me that one day I’ll catch the God of Light messing around with clouds in the sky. He’s disgusting enough as it is, and a bit more disgusting, like blessing his followers with ‘heavenly dew,’ wouldn’t make much difference.”

At this point, the last nun and princess sighed deeply. It was unclear whether she was sighing at her own weakness or the absurdity of the prophecy.

The elf just watched her. After a long while, she shook her head.

“I… actually gave you an opportunity, Purple Princess.”

“But I refuse. I know I really want my homeland to be revived and my Lord to return to his divine throne… but honestly, meaningless persistence is unnecessary. Compared to grand but unattainable power, I now prefer the tangible—three meals a day, everyday essentials, and him.”

“Then I understand.”

Did she truly decide to stop considering the restoration of her country and the Light?

Fen wasn’t sure. She only knew that today’s negotiation was a complete failure—but only for today.

It seemed that now was not the right time to continue discussing this topic. So after taking another sip of her sweet and sour juice, she glanced at the exquisite mechanical clock in the reception room.

This clock, a gift from Bayerzost craftsmen, had been meticulously maintained by the elves and remained in perfect working condition.

It was already late at night, and His Highness the Regent would be back soon. It was better to switch to a lighter topic now.

With this in mind, Fen spoke, “Did you know that in our Elven Kingdom, there have always been speculations about the betrayer from back then?”

“Betrayer? I remember my father saying that our entire nation was on the front lines fighting the demonic surge, and then the unguarded towns were attacked by the very barbarians we were protecting. Saint Petersburg had to sink prematurely because of this, but it only sank about 50 levels before stopping.”

Teresa looked thoughtful, clearly interested in the topic. Fen, eager to engage, hoped that they could become friends, which would be ideal.

“There are some discrepancies in the details.” The elf smiled and shook her head. “We elves have relatively detailed records… but the war back then left only one in ten elves alive, causing significant cultural and memory gaps, so I can’t be certain this is correct.”

“So? What is Caparia’s theory?”

“The ones who betrayed us back then, unsurprisingly, were the barbarians who now form the Roman Empire.”

“Oh?”

Teresa raised an eyebrow. This was quite… surprising. After all, the traitors who betrayed Bayerzost during the demonic disaster war should have gained considerable technology and wealth and become powerful rulers, right?

And now you’re telling me it was the barbarians? The same barbarians who were still in tribal stages five years ago? That couldn’t be right.

Teresa found it hard to believe. Was her homeland backstabbed by such barbarians, and they regressed to the tribal era? 

You must be joking.

Fen could clearly see the distrust in Teresa’s eyes. She could only smile wryly and explain, “Precisely because they behave so differently from the traitors of old, our understanding has always been speculative due to our cultural and memory gaps.”

“Elves don’t break their oaths. Back then, Caparia and Bayerzost signed an alliance to fight for the lives on Elusia and to jointly resist the demonic surge. So, even though we suspect and hate the Roman Empire, without evidence, we won’t destroy a country out of personal desire, especially since we elves don’t have the ability to wage war on any country right now.”

“Your population is really small. So what is the reason for the betrayal?”

“Saint Petersburg, your Church of Light’s holy city. According to the emperor’s prophecy, if there were no accidents, the God of Light is one of the betrayers. Based on our elven records, the God of Light might have been a mortal before becoming the God of Light. In the limited records, this mortal interacted the most with the southern tribes of the empire. Those were the very people we promised to protect back then. Coincidentally, many of the ancient cities these barbarians now own contain remnants of the Bayerzost Empire.  Take Kagard Town, for instance. The teleportation portal within it is Bayerzost technology. Purple Princess… no, Miss Teresa, please think carefully. In the history you’ve heard, which places were attacked first?”

Teresa furrowed her brow.

She tried to recall the stories her parents told her and finally remembered. Some unclear words and sorrow.

“They were the plain towns, far from the forest battlefield, that had already conscripted a large number of militiamen and supplies.”

That… made sense.

Why was it that under Yang Hao’s efforts, the Roman Empire now had a network of teleportation portals? 

Why did the core cities of the Roman Empire reportedly have underground ruins of unknown depth?

Could it be that those things… once belonged to our own homeland?

The nun blinked and then added calmly, “And they still managed to regress into barbarians?”

“Perhaps because they were barbarians to begin with. Without knowledge of writing or technology, even if they seized what belonged to Bayerzost, they wouldn’t know how to maintain it.”

“And what about Saint Petersburg?”

“According to the old elves, when the followers of the Church of Light responded en masse to the call to fight the demonic disaster, only women, children, and the elderly were left in Saint Petersburg. But one day, the divine barrier within Saint Petersburg was breached, and the demonic disaster appeared inside the city. The remaining defenders made great sacrifices to repel the demons, only for the barbarians to invade the ravaged holy city immediately afterward. It was precisely because Saint Petersburg was massacred and the city fell into enemy hands that it stopped sinking during the submergence. The diocese claims that the elevators were their own miraculous creations.”

“Barbarians indeed. They seize what they desire and destroy what they cannot.”

“It seems we share quite a bit of common ground on this matter, Miss Teresa.” Fen smiled and nodded. “You may call me by my real name—”

“No need. ‘Fen’ is a good name, and your real names are too long and complicated. My father complained about it more than once. Using a nickname is more practical.”

“It’s just under a hundred characters?” Fen’s face stiffened. 

‘Just under a hundred characters, and it’s too much trouble?’

Teresa looked as if she had seen a ghost. 

‘A name with dozens of characters? Who on earth could remember that?! No wonder you… Huh? Footsteps?’

The young nun suddenly perked up her ears. She heard a familiar sound. The distinctive footsteps of Yang Hao.

He was back.

Teresa eagerly turned to look at the door leading to the corridor. As the footsteps stopped and a light sound was heard, the door opened from the outside.

Yang Hao and Kenna entered the room. He first greeted Fen, then said apologetically:

“Fen, it’s getting late. Even if we need to work, I’d prefer to start tomorrow. I’d like to take her back now.”

“Oh, please do—I had a pleasant conversation with Miss Teresa. Are your rooms arranged?”

“Thank you. The rooms are great, and everyone enjoyed the sweets.”

The man smiled in response, then took the hand of the nun, who suddenly seemed tired, and led her out of the reception room.

Watching their figures disappear through the door, Fen shook her head and said, “Sigh! A sky-reaching beam of light, a destined-to-rise empire. She thinks it’s a fictional story? Truly, humans are remarkable.”

“Fen?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself. By the way, Kenna, how long is your real name?”

“124 characters? Using human words.”

Chatting with her loyal servant on the way back about how “names are too long for humans,” Fen began to contemplate how to make the Regent sincerely request to stay in Caparia forever, a long-term plan even for the elves.

***

Meanwhile…

On the west side of the Monster Forest, in an ancient ruin perched on a steep cliff known as the “Watchtower.”

The descendants of the Bayerzost Empire, known as the watchmen, were telling their children stories of the past in ancient language.

“Our Empress will lead us back to the surface. So our duty is to guard this last fortress on the surface.”

The child, holding a shield and an ancient short sword passed down for who knows how many generations, listened with a mix of understanding and confusion. The elderly watchman gazed hopefully into the distant night.

Rustling sounds came from below. He turned and saw his comrades, bloodied and weary, transporting supplies. Their numbers were significantly reduced compared to before.

“Constantinople was attacked again. The petrifying demons and lava demons took out many of our men. Fortunately, we killed one of them and avenged the centurion.”

One of the men muttered as he placed a box made from demon skin on the ground and added, “Ration these dried worms and mushrooms carefully. They were saved by the women and children. The demon rampages have been too severe lately, and we can’t even find moss in areas closer to the city.”

“What happened to the Eagle Legion?”

“The 24th Eagle Legion is history now. Luckily, we managed to retrieve the equipment, so at least the 25th Eagle Legion still has gear.”

“And the warriors?”

“We’ve already started training 16-year-olds for enlistment this year. But the demons are suffering too. I just saw many newly hatched larvae. Usually, they don’t let the young stray too far from the core area. They’re struggling too. By the way, here, take this. It looks like it was your father’s weapon. We found it in the petrifying demon’s stomach.”

The warrior tossed an axe to the watchman. The watchman’s child obediently caught the axe and handed it to his father.

The watchman took the axe and skillfully pressed a button on it, transforming it from a one-handed axe into a special weapon resembling a harpoon. He grinned.

After nearly a thousand years of war with demons, the descendants of Bayerzost had developed transformable weapons suitable for the ever-changing underground environment. These weapons, which could shrink or extend, were ideal for the current Bayerzost people.

He wondered how the humans on the surface had changed and what kind of lives the races they once protected with the elves were leading.

After the warriors left, the watchman handed the axe to his child.

He was too old and no longer had the strength to wield such a weapon against the demons, but his child could.

This was a necessary cruelty.

Everything was for the sake of returning to the surface. Everything, for their Empress.