Soul of Negary

The war between the Royas Kingdom and Interkam Kingdom inevitably broke out in the end.

After all, the Royas Kingdom had already been prepared to go to war, under Eldridge's rule, the power of the Royas Kingdom's army as a whole reached an unprecedented level.

At the same time, the Interkam Kingdom's internal matters were completely chaotic, causing them to be unable to even stand on the same frontline as the threat of Royas loomed over them.

The domestic aristocrats only cared about indulging in their luxury, the Church of Divine Grace was busy struggling between investing in spreading faith or military power, Seth the First didn't want to develop anything and only clung to his throne. With so much discord among themselves, it was natural for them to feel helpless against the advancement of the Royas Kingdom.

As their defense lines were constantly breached further and further, the Interkam Kingdom's territory gradually shrunk. The nobles whose territories were lost naturally migrated deeper towards the Interkam capital, which caused even more discord within the country.

The Interkam capital was called Ingmarlo, and currently, on a farm on the outskirts of Ingmarlo, Nala stood fully armored with a knight's sword in her hand. Her glowing blond hair had been simply tied behind her head, which gave her a heroic look.

Facing her was Rivers who wore the same armor and knight's sword.

Rivers' breathing was steady as he stepped forward. After his body became unable to use any Grace and was unable to continue working as a knight, his swordsmanship which had been mostly ignored began to advance again. The knight's sword in Rivers' hand appeared to be overwhelming, as if any enemy would be cut in half by the weapon.

Facing Rivers' attack, Nala wasn't fazed at all, she wielded the heavy knight's sword to parry Rivers' advances, her breathing pattern was strangely rhythmic, which made her look exceptionally coordinated.

Nala was quite relaxed during their spar. As her Dragon's blood continued to awaken, despite her small frame, Rivers described her strength alone as monstrous. This little girl seemed to be hiding a dragon within her body, giving her physical prowess that far exceeded those of humans.

"No wonder she can eat so much" recalling how Nala was during their meals, Rivers cleared his throat, stepped back and admitted his defeat.

Nala's Dragon's blood also granted her incredible talents, her [Respiratory Art] combined with the Dragon's blood synergically boosted the other's strength multiplicatively, so aside from lacking experience, Nala could already be considered as one of the best combatants on this continent.

Naturally, even without much experience in real battles, Nala couldn't be underestimated. Perhaps it was due to the Cauchy bloodline she carried, even though this little girl was pure and innocent as one might expect, her instincts were terrifying, capable of accomplishing plenty through them alone.

On the dining table, Nala impeccably abided by the etiquettes her mother, Isabella, taught her, if only not for her ridiculous speed. The fork and knife in her hands appeared as blurred images as they moved around the table, quickly stuffing pieces of food into her mouth without stopping. The amount of food she could consume during a meal was three times that of the other two here combined.

"Hm?" after her meal, Nala suddenly looked up and glanced outside the farm. A few moments later, a young man dressed in a white robe slowly walked in.

This man was Luen Donner, or as he was currently known, Cardinal Donner. Ever since he returned from Reya, Luen had put in great efforts and finally became a Cardinal not too long ago.

He now appeared a lot more mature than before. As he came in, he bowed to greet Isabella, lightly nodded to Nala and asked Rivers to come out to discuss something with him.

"The situation in Interkam had become exceedingly dangerous" Luen slowly told Rivers as they were alone: "During the last 7 years, Interkam has lost over half of its territory, and now the soldiers of Royas are laying siege on Colomier. Once Colomier is captured, Royas' army would then be able to march straight ahead and plant the flag of Royas in the capital of Ingmarlo"

"So what exactly are you saying?" Rivers showed an indifferent expression, but he fully understood what Luen was trying to say.

In the past few years, as the war situation changed, the internal political situation of Interkam was also constantly changing. The only thing Seth the First wanted to protect now was his throne, he had already sent envoys out to ask the Royas Kingdom for a ceasefire, more than willing to give up the territory that had been taken over, as long as the Royas Kingdom stopped their war.

But that was almost impossible. Before the envoys could even see Eldridge, they had died inexplicably, all three envoys Seth the First sent out in a row met the same fate.

They were essentially forced to fight this war whether they wanted to or not, but the problem was that they simply couldn't win. Unless a miracle happened at this point, the Interkam Kingdom was already as good as fallen.

"The aristocrats who lost their territories are naturally unwilling to simply lay down and die. They lost their battles, but each of them still managed to escape with their private armies, and this is a considerable force" Luen answered him: "But this force is too chaotic and undisciplined, they need a leader"

"The situation in the Church of Divine Grace is too complicated and is unsuitable to take up that role, so Nala, the Saintress of Salvation mentioned in the prophecy all those years ago, it is time for her to fulfill her role" Luen spoke hastily: "This is the last chance for the Interkam Kingdom"

"Nala is still only a child" Rivers replied: "You know very well just how much pressure the one in that position will face"

"But there is no other choice at this point. We can only wait for this country to fall, or to trust her" Luen showed a bitter smile. The reason he was able to become a Cardinal in such a short time was naturally because if Royas managed to take over Interkam, with Eldridge's widely known personality, the Church of Divine Grace would also become history. Facing such a threat, the traditions of the Church of Divine Grace naturally had to be broken to allow capable people to climb up.

"Let me think about it a bit more" Rivers sighed.

"Rivers, do not forget, some people are born extraordinary" Luen said with a solemn expression and left.

As he walked across the living room, Luen glanced at the calm young girl sitting there, only to be greeted with an innocent smile and what seemed to be a golden gleam in her eyes.

…

Far away, in Reystromia, due to the war, although this place was no longer as prosperous as it once was, it became more powerful instead. In fact, it became one of the few peaceful places during the chaos of war.

〖 Granny Seal'e, the prophecy you spoke of is about to begin 〗in the palace of darkness, sitting on top of the throne, Negary slowly spoke with his face hidden in the darkness, constantly giving off a heavy sense of pressure that was enough to cause anyone to fall unconscious: 〖 Do prophecies really exist in this world? 〗

"Lord Negary, please trust this old woman" Granny Seal'e was an ugly old woman who carried a strangely-shaped staff, under Negary's pressure, she did not fall unconscious, but instead chuckled in her eerie voice: "Chechecheh, Nala will surely become the Saintress of Salvation, because only then can our ultimate goal be reached"

〖 Nala is still too weak, and Eldridge would not be defeated so easily. Even as I am right now, it would be hard to defeat him as long as he has that 'thing'〗Negary spoke softly: 〖 I hope that it would be as you said and I did not waste time holding Eldridge back so long for her 〗

"Believe me, Lord Negary, you are unbeatable, the final winner will be no one but you, my Lord!" Granny Seal'e spoke with a tone full of confidence.