As a clergy member closest to the God of Light, the Saintess of Light, Monica, was naturally very familiar with the holy artifact buried beneath the main cathedral of the Holy Church of Light.

Every dawn and dusk, she will stand before the holy statue to pray, and a large portion of the sense of being watched originates from the holy artifact.

At this very moment, in the Valeria Empire, far from her homeland, Monica once again felt an aura similar to the holy artifact, and the source of this power was right before her eyes.

Her amber-golden eyes reflect the semi-transparent sword body, the sharp edge constantly flashing with a cold light.

From its appearance, this slender knight's sword seems to only have a more specialized craftsmanship and material, with nothing else particularly eye-catching. Yet, even so, Monica couldn't immediately look away.

She had thought it was an illusion when she first saw it, but now it was clear it wasn't.

She was too familiar with it, this warm and lingering sense of inclusiveness, like the dawn, possessing both the undeniable sharpness of scorching light.

Could this sword, appearing in the Valeria Empire, be a second holy artifact?

The holy artifact beneath the Holy Church had no physical form, only a ball of light emitting heat and brightness at all times.

However, what Monica faced now was a long sword with a physical form, even emitting a clear ringing sound when it landed on the ground.

Without giving Monica more time to examine the Sword of Light, Lyra bent down, picked up her weapon, and tied it against her leg again.

As her line of sight was blocked by the dining table, Monica snapped back to reality, her gaze still fixed on the pink-haired girl across the table, her delicate brows furrowed.

She had been too focused on the sword in the other person's hand and had overlooked the person holding it, even though the latter was her main reason for joining their table.

Lyra Beckett... she gave her a very special feeling...

Just sitting here quietly, without any extra movements, the surrounding light elemental particles seemed to be drawn to her, constantly gathering towards her.

Although the attraction was small and the gathering speed was slow, far from being discernible to the naked eye, it was already a sign of extremely high affinity for the previously randomly moving elemental particles.

Sensing Monica's prolonged gaze upon her, Lyra felt a flicker of confusion. Although she didn't understand the intention, she still politely met Monica's gaze.

At this, Astrid, standing by, put down her wine glass and spoke softly.

"Miss Monica, do you find Lyra to be particularly congenial?"

Hearing the words of the Imperial Princess, Monica knew she had lost her composure. She then smiled brightly, her lips curving into a radiant smile.

"I only had the pleasure of witnessing a beauty as outstanding in appearance and elegant in demeanor as Your Highness Astrid for the first time last night at the Imperial Palace..."

"I didn't expect the friends by Your Highness's side to be so radiant as well, so I subconsciously took a few extra glances."

While it was true that Lyra, the destined heroine, was very attractive, not everyone was a face-connoisseur like Lydia, who couldn't control their eyes. Astrid naturally wouldn't believe Monica's statement.

Moreover, Astrid had noticed Monica looking towards them from the audience seats early on, and she didn't believe that the Saintess of Light was only looking at her at that time, ignoring Lyra sitting beside her.

"Is that so?"

Astrid held her cutlery and spoke in a calm tone.

"But at mealtime, food is more tempting."

"Although the student cafeteria of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic doesn't have any specialty dishes, it has a wide variety of food that can cater to the tastes of guests from all over the world, and the taste is generally good."

"Like this Cream of Mushroom Soup in front of Miss Monica, it's best when drunk warm. If it gets cold, the taste will drop considerably."

Knowing that waiting any longer would be impolite, Monica accepted the step Astrid had given her and opened her pink lips slightly.

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness Astrid. I will savor it carefully."

As the female voice fell, Lyra, seeing that Monica was no longer looking at her, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She gave Astrid a grateful look, then picked up her cutlery and ate in small bites.

The Saintess of Light from the Kingdom of Velys...

She does seem to have a good temperament.

Lyra, who grew up in Morin Village on the border of the empire, had heard some things about the Holy Church of Light. However, due to the Valeria Empire's prohibition of all faiths, coupled with the lack of conditions for spreading doctrines at the time, Lyra, a gentle girl, ultimately did not become a member of the Holy Church of Light.

After taking a few sips of the Cream of Mushroom Soup, this dish, common in both the Kingdom of Velys and the Valeria Empire, was smooth on the palate. Upon careful tasting, there were fine granular particles, full of mushroom aroma.

Monica put down her spoon, crossed her white-stocking-clad legs under the table, and looked at the cold girl beside Astrid, then spoke.

"Is this young girl, who doesn't look very old, also Your Highness Astrid's friend?"

Monica had naturally investigated Astrid previously and knew that she had an adopted sister without blood relation. She asked this simply to find a topic of conversation.

Astrid shook her head upon hearing this, placing her left hand on Amalia's knee.

"She is my sister."

"Livia Calliste."

After going through the same social procedures as Lyra, Amalia greeted Monica and then fell silent.

She reached out to cover Astrid's hand, her soft calves gently swinging before the chair.

Not everyone could become a friend; she was Astrid's only sister.

This was the biggest difference between her and others.

With an extra person joining their table, and a foreign Saintess whom they didn't know well, Lyra spoke significantly less during the meal, becoming quite subdued.

With one of the only two people who would usually speak up during silent meals, Astrid naturally didn't bother to speak. She ate while observing the Saintess of Light beside her from the corner of her eye. The latter was indeed no longer looking at Lyra but had shifted her attention to her.

"Speaking of which, Your Highness Astrid..."

After a few minutes, Monica spoke up.

"I heard from the students that you are also a second-year student and meet the enrollment qualifications of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic."

"Does Your Highness Astrid not plan to participate?"

Astrid's eyes were calm as she nodded and replied gently.

"My strength is insufficient. If I were to go up, I would probably only serve as a background character, so I won't embarrass myself."

With Astrid's current mental power, which was considered peak tier sorcerer in name but only middle tier in reality, even if she used ice magic with high affinity, she would still exert considerable offensive pressure on any sorcerer of the same tier.

After all, in full view of everyone, she couldn't chant her trump card ancient spells.

Even if there was some inhibitory force in this world preventing humans from deciphering Elders Speech, according to the experimental results, it would at most erase the contemporary people's knowledge and understanding of Elders Speech, not hiding the fact of its existence.

Seeing Astrid say this, Monica tactfully skipped the topic and asked about another matter.

"I saw Miss Lyra's name at the opening ceremony earlier."

"Is Miss Lyra also a participant in this competition?"

Hearing the topic shift to herself, Lyra stopped her actions and spoke softly.

"Yes, I will participate."

This will be posted on the notice board later, so it wasn't a secret.

Monica nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this and then spoke.

"I'm more interested in knowing Miss Lyra's current magic rank."

"However, as this is our first meeting, asking this might be a bit presumptuous... If it's inconvenient for Miss Lyra to speak, I hope you can disregard my previous words..."

Is this... wanting to know her specific strength?

Before answering, Lyra glanced at Astrid. After the latter gave a barely perceptible nod, she then spoke softly.

"Currently, I am at the peak tier sorcerer rank."

Winning the championship with this strength would be a pipe dream, but besides being a mage, she was also a peak Master Knigh. With good luck, she might even make it to the top eight.

"Miss Lyra and Your Highness Astrid are in the same grade, meaning they are both second-year students at the Elizabeth Academy of Magic..."

Monica took a sip of juice, her voice melodious.

Second-year students, converted, would be around twenty years old. A twenty-year-old peak tier sorcerer, if possessing royal bloodline amplification, could only be considered ordinary. Among the nobility, she might barely be considered excellent, but if she came from an ordinary background, she would truly be a one-in-ten-thousand genius.

Monica wondered which category Lyra belongs to.

"Truly a hero emerging from youth."

Just as she boasted softly, Monica heard Lyra replied.

"You flatter me, Miss Monica."

Fourth Princess Amalia was already a peak tier sorcerer at the young age of sixteen. Although she started learning magic later than Lyra, her progress speed was much faster. She will likely reach the rank of Magnus by the end of this year.

Without knowing that magic talent was related to bloodline, Lyra didn't think that reaching her current level made her a genius.

"I hope Miss Lyra can achieve a good ranking," Monica said.

Lyra nodded and replied, "Thank you, Miss Monica. I will do my best."

Astrid watched Lyra, who had returned to her usual demeanor, with a slight smile as they finished a polite and restrained lunch.

She remembered that a long time ago, Lyra also behaved like this in front of her. However, at that time, the destined heroine harbored both fear and hatred towards her, and who knew what she was thinking in her heart.

Noticing Astrid's prepared upturned lips, Lyra cast a questioned glance at her. Astrid didn't say anything, merely continuing to eat with elegant movements.

After finishing lunch, Monica politely said goodbye and left with her tray. Astrid and her group also quickly finished their meal and returned to their dormitory to rest.

The opening ceremony only lasted for half the morning. In the afternoon, exchange students will be led by academy professors to tour the academy's buildings and facilities. Of course, this tour was not in-depth, but merely for external propaganda of the empire's power.

"Sister, can you tell what Monica wants to do?"

As soon as they reached the dormitory, Amalia took off her small leather shoes and gently sat into Astrid's arms, wrapping her hands around her sister's waist. Her soft feet rested on her legs.

Amalia's question was also Lyra's doubt. However, since the other party had asked, she remained silent and sat in her seat, waiting for Astrid's response.

Holding her sister, Astrid gently placed her palm on the firm, rounded curve wrapped in thin white stockings, adjusting Amalia's position for her to sit more comfortably. Astrid slowly began to speak.

"I'm not sure yet, but there are some slight indications."

Because the sisters slept together every night, Astrid would discuss some recent topics of concern with Amalia during their bedtime conversations.

Regarding last night's ball, Astrid had told Amalia about everything except the rather insignificant detail of her dancing with Monica.

"Indications?"

Amalia asked with a hint of confusion, her delicate nose leaning against the woman's smooth and rounded shoulder.

"Monica's trip is likely to find a way to break the deadlock."

Astrid spoke softly, gently stroking Amalia's hair while looking at Lyra across from her.

"Amalia, do you remember what I told you a while ago about the secondary means of royalty or nobility used to resolve internal conflicts within the empire?"

"...I remember."

Amalia gently leaned her lips against Astrid's skirt and responded softly.

"They would divert domestic conflicts outwards, creating a common enemy that everyone needed to attack."

"At that time, the fifth king of the Valeria Kingdom directed the conflict towards the Holy Church of Light and used military force and public opinion to erase all church influence."

Astrid nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this and opened her pink lips.

"The Kingdom of Velys is currently facing a situation similar to that, but the enemy they have established has become the Valeria Empire."

"In fact, diverting contradictions can only delay the explosion of contradictions, not solve the problem from the root. The key lies in what the fifth king did after dealing with the Holy Church of Light."

Hearing this, Amalia blinked her eyelashes a few times and quickly replied.

"The fifth king's two most famous contributions were: first, expelling the church and optimizing the empire's administrative structure, clarifying that lords were enfeoffed by the emperor, making imperial power supreme over everything; second, promulgating the overseas navigation decree, vigorously developing maritime power, and successfully opening safe sea routes from the kingdom to the archipelago."

"Sister, are you referring to the latter?"

Astrid shook her head upon hearing this, her slender fingertips gently tapping Amalia's back.

"Connecting with the Pan-Human Alliance and achieving commercial exchange between the two countries did drive some economic development..."

However, the Valeria Empire at that time was still in a state of extremely backward production, with very few goods being exported, and the impact was not significant.

"More important than the latter is the former, 'optimizing the empire's administrative structure'."

"This is perhaps what Monica has always hoped for but has been unable to achieve."