When this nun, her eyes lightly covered by a thin veil, appeared within everyone's sight, all the nobles couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
Who was she?
This question arose in everyone's mind at the same time.
"Where are the guards outside?"
"Why didn't any guards stop her?"
Under the many suspicious and confused gazes, the black-robed nun smiled faintly, her steps steady as she walked forward step by step.
The eyes of the nobles in the hall remained fixed on her.
Bathed in golden light, the nun seemed to make the air itself almost freeze, as if even echoes didn't dare linger around her.
Her light steps were like those of an ethereal fairy, silently falling upon the luxurious floor.
It was as if her feet had never truly touched the ground.
Seeing this, no one dared to act rashly.
When she passed by Viktor, this mysterious nun seemed to sense something and slowly turned toward him.
Even though her eyes were covered by the black veil, she still looked toward Viktor and gave him a gentle smile.
At this moment, Vega, who had originally been resting asleep on Viktor's shoulder, opened that tightly closed single eye.
Its gaze fell upon the nun, scanning her from top to bottom.
Then, it shook its feathers and calmly closed that deep eye again.
The nun walked up to Grand Duke Barlo and gave a slight smile.
She directly ignored the silent, puppet-like August, faced the Grand Duke, and spoke, "I am the bishop of the Church of Abundance within Shulben, Michaela Aurore."
"All this time, I have been under the care of the Grand Duke and Count Laurien."
The nun clasped her hands to her chest and bowed.
The nobles, who had been standing there as if turned to stone, snapped back to their senses upon hearing Michaela's introduction.
'The bishop of the Church of Abundance?'
'Why did she come?'
After realizing this, many nobles began to think.
The Church of Abundance existed solely by relying on the territory of Shulben.
Because in this vast kingdom, only Shulben was willing to accept the Church of Abundance.
After all, if the residents within a territory believed in a church, then the lord's control over that territory would naturally weaken.
To maintain their authority at the highest level, lords would usually try to restrain the spread of faith and limit their residents' contact with churches.
Of course, if residents secretly believed in some deity, the lords would not interfere with their spiritual beliefs.
Naturally, they didn't have the right to interfere anyway.
But Laurien was different.
He not only accepted the Church of Abundance, he even built churches for them.
What Laurien did also brought benefits to Shulben.
It not only ensured abundant harvests year after year, but the agricultural output each year was an enormous source of wealth.
It even allowed the residents living in Shulben to live without worry about food or clothing.
People who lived here year after year would find it hard to starve even if they tried.
But this was also because Count Laurien himself was capable.
His unique charisma and governing methods left countless nobles baffled.
They simply couldn't achieve letting their residents believe in a church while still maintaining absolute control.
Now, however, Shulben needed a new lord.
It was undeniable that the new lord would attempt to reduce the residents' faith in the Church of Abundance.
So, had this Bishop Michaela sensed the coming crisis in advance and come to meet Grand Duke Barlo on her own?
At this moment, the nobles saw the Grand Duke nod at the bishop.
He allowed her to continue speaking.
The nun smiled slightly, her gentle voice sounding again, "Regarding the lordship of Shulben, I believe it is necessary for Count Laurien's descendant to continue inheriting it."
As soon as the nobles heard this, they immediately became restless.
Naturally, they did not agree with the bishop's proposal, "What? That's impossible!"
"Shulben has a large population. How can a descendant of a vampire inherit it?"
"What Laurien did is unforgivable!"
The lords could already tell that this bishop had come to see the Grand Duke clearly to secure the church's position.
If Priscilla were allowed to inherit her title and territory, the Church of Abundance would be able to maintain its current status in Shulben.
What Church of Abundance?
They were clearly accomplices of vampires.
"We will never allow the offspring of a monster who wanted to drain everyone in the territory to inherit Shulben!"
This was the shared thought of many lords.
The bishop turned around and faced the nobles who had stirred up a wave of opposition.
At this moment, facing the bishop before them, the nobles' emotions inexplicably calmed down.
The sacredness and calm emanating from her made people unwilling to offend her.
It was as if just standing before her caused the malice and anger within them to dissolve like a spring breeze.
Facing the now calm nobles, Michaela maintained her smile, her voice slowly sounding, "During Count Laurien's rule, the people within Shulben lived stable and prosperous lives."
"The shadow of famine never once covered this land."
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other.
Although they were unwilling to admit it, they couldn't deny this fact.
The territories ruled by these noble lords varied in size.
But they could not avoid disasters that left residents displaced, hungry, and even resulted in starving corpses on the roadside.
During years of disaster, crime rates in their territories would rise sharply, and many robberies would occur.
And the reason for those robberies was almost always survival.
So the lords found disasters extremely troublesome.
But in this vast kingdom, only Shulben had been free from hunger year after year.
In a way, this indeed proved that Count Laurien's governance was excellent.
But…
Some nobles, though their anger had subsided, still stubbornly said to the bishop, "But that was clearly your doing. Without your divine power, how could Shulben have such harvests every year?"
The other nobles nodded in agreement.
The divine power of the Church of Abundance was very strong.
Many people present had used the wheat ears imbued with divine power that came from the church.
Although it only lasted for one year, it truly ensured a good harvest.
So the nobles continued speaking to Michaela, "If you want to support Laurien's descendant, it's only for the church's position in the territory."
"In that case, we can just allow your church to exist. Why insist on supporting a monster?"
When the nobles said this, they couldn't help but glance at Viktor.
Seeing that Viktor had his eyes closed and showed no reaction, they finally relaxed and gradually became bolder.
But hearing their words, Michaela only smiled slightly, "Do you really think that relying solely on divine blessings can guarantee that everyone in Shulben will be fed?"
Lazy people would never become diligent just because they had fertile land.
Those with ill intentions would only think about stealing others' harvests and destroying their fertile soil.
But in Shulben, such people had never appeared.
"It was not Shulben that made Laurien, but Laurien who shaped the Shulben of today."
This had nothing to do with the divine power of the Goddess of Abundance.
The nobles present fell into a silence that was hard to break.
They had to admit that Shulben's livelihood was indeed as Michaela described.
However, there was still a key issue they could not compromise on.
"A monster will always be a monster."
"Your Excellency Bishop, how can you be sure that Priscilla won't do the same things?"
Priscilla was also a vampire. Logically, she should have been expelled long ago.
If not for Viktor, she would have already left the kingdom.
Michaela turned her head and "looked" toward the nobles who had spoken.
Even though her eyes were covered by the veil, those nobles could still feel a real gaze.
It was like… the serious yet gentle gaze of a mother.
That alone was enough to make the nobles realize that this bishop of the Church of Abundance was no ordinary person.
Then, the bishop's voice, gentle like water, sounded again in the air, "You reject Priscilla only because she is Count Laurien's daughter."
"But Laurien is dead. His daughter has no connection to him anymore."
"But since you are worried, then let's do this."
As if she had suddenly thought of a solution, Michaela raised a finger, her voice filled with anticipation, "Priscilla is still young. Even if she inherits the title, governing the territory may be difficult for her."
"So why not find someone who can act as her guardian, and at the same time temporarily manage her territory and title?"
When the nobles heard this suggestion, they looked at each other.
"And this person must have sufficient strength, so they can teach Priscilla."
"They must have sufficient prestige, so they can earn your trust."
"They must have sufficient status, so they can lead Shulben to greater prosperity."
Michaela's proposal made everyone fall into deep thought.
Someone who met all these conditions?
Where would they even find such a person?
It wasn't just like searching for a needle in the sea, it was having no clue at all.
In the entire Kant Kingdom, aside from Grand Duke Barlo, was there anyone else who could meet all three conditions at once?
While the nobles were puzzled, Michaela drew out a golden wheat ear flowing with divine power from within her black sleeve.
Under the faint light, it shone brilliantly.
"Since that is the case, let the will of the gods choose this person from among those present."
Seeing the wheat ear, the nobles all fell silent.
Instead, they craned their necks, watching it with curiosity.
The golden light on the wheat ear gradually grew brighter, strands of light quickly sliding across the steel walls, sweeping over the bodies of the nobles present.
The golden light passed over the many lead-gray robes, its speed gradually slowing.
As the light was about to come to a stop, all the nobles held their breath, their hearts pounding, swallowing nervously.
But in the end, the drifting light slowly settled on Viktor.
That golden glow shone on Viktor's coat, like a stream flowing through its patterns, spreading across his back.
All the nobles present were stunned, standing there like wooden statues, mouths wide open, eyes staring as if they might pop out.
Feeling the warm light covering his body, Viktor slowly opened his eyes.
He saw the blindfolded bishop, her expression still carrying a smile, looking at him gently,
"Then, Mr. Viktor."
"Are you willing to replace the late Count Laurien and become Priscilla's father?"
[🎉 Shoutout to Paulius and CJ for joining p@treon. Thank you for keeping me motivated.🤗]