Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

In a secluded study within the Royal Palace, Andrea silently eyed the leather scrolls piled before her.

There was no time to hold a grand funeral for Theseus—in fact, on the one hand, such customs did not yet exist in Athens at the time, and on the other, Theseus had not left a body behind.

So, having just experienced a parting, the urgent task that Andrea needed to address was the conquest of the City of Eryxis, which had also declared its independence as the Eryxis Kingdom.

After all, even with limited experience, Andrea could see that simply killing a few people would not win everyone’s hearts and minds.

Merely giving speeches could motivate the people but would not convince the aristocrats and high-ranking professionals to follow her.

Therefore, she needed a victory, one that would unite the hearts of Athenians by avenging the former King.

Only then would she have the power to resist when facing the various troubles that were surely coming.

But she encountered problems before even starting, as the former Princess embarrassingly realized that she didn’t understand military affairs at all.

This was not surprising, for when Theseus had been leading armies, she hadn’t even been born.

By the time Andrea had grown up, Athens had not experienced any large-scale wars.

Even the few times Theseus had taken action were often intended as deterrence rather than sparking a full-scale war.

"But it’s different, if Father passed the throne to me, he must have believed I could do it."

"Perhaps there’s something I haven’t thought of, or maybe Father left me some guidance. If only I can find it, I can solve the problems I’m facing..."

She pursed her lips lightly and sat upright, gazing at the figure before her.

Years had passed and she had grown; no longer the child of her youth, few now regarded her as such.

But facing Mr. Aiven, who appeared unchanged, she always felt as if she were just like before, facing Theseus, knowing and capable of nothing; then, confronted with sudden change, just like once lying on the cold altar... But this time, not surrounded by cultists, but by true deities.

And this time, Theseus, whom she deemed invincible, had also fallen before her.

"So I need to understand the guidance Father gave me," she repeated, picking up a leather scroll before her: "And then I can resolve them."

That is what Andrea told herself, and how she convinced herself. Sitting opposite her, taking a sip from his teacup, Laine nodded in affirmation.

He had been there for a while and understood the current situation.

However, following the former Princess who was actually bolstering her own courage, Laine’s words were simple and straightforward.

"Yes, your thoughts are good,"

"But Andrea, have you ever considered one thing?"

"Perhaps King Theseus didn’t actually leave you any instructions regarding this matter after all. He wasn’t omniscient or omnipotent and couldn’t have foreseen his own untimely death."

"He may have had reasons for preparing to pass the throne to you, but it’s more likely that he had no other choice at the time, so his ’great expectations’ might have merely been making the best out of a desperate situation." Read exclusive chapters at novelbuddy

"After all, you have one advantage: you are a Godhood Practitioner of the church. In his eyes, even in the worst-case scenario, you would not die but merely lose the throne of Athens."

"With the weapon he left you and the support of the deities behind you, you or your descendants will one day be able to reclaim Athens. His previous words were just a kind of hope for the best, but actually, this is what he truly hoped for."

With a calm voice, Laine spoke without mincing words. He and Andrea would be considered long-separated, but in reality, they hadn’t really been apart.

Because, over the years, their communication had never truly ceased.

Furthermore, Laine wasn’t particularly concerned, and Andrea had just lost a loved one. So when he saw the scene he had foreseen, the Princess stained with blood on her sword, it was only natural for him to come here shortly afterward, to help her consider the future of Athens.

"I..."

She opened her mouth slightly but struggled to find the words.

In the room at that moment, there were only two people. It wasn’t that there wasn’t a second person in grand Athens who Andrea could trust, but rather that she did not wish to see them just yet.

After all, trust is hierarchical, and clearly, those ’loyal to her because they were loyal to her father’ had, to the former Princess on a hot day, seemed distant. She wasn’t eager to show her ignorance before them.

So faced with such a question, Andrea was at a loss for where else to turn for help.

"But I need to do something, at least, I must first deal with Eryxis."

After a moment of silence, Andrea finally said: "You have a way, right?"

"Well... sort of."

Meeting Andrea’s expectant gaze, Laine finally gave an affirmative response.

"Actually, the problems Athens is facing now can both be difficult and simple. First of all, you need to understand how wars are fought in this era."

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"Have you ever considered a question—if demigods and avatars of the deities are so powerful, capable of easily breaking walls, defeating armies? Strong divine arts can cause widespread loss of life, and it wouldn’t take long to slaughter an entire city."