The Girl Who Hacked The Magic System
Chapter 126 - Emergency meeting

Chapter 126: Chapter 126 - Emergency meeting

A few days later, strange reports start coming from all around the kingdom.

In one town, the townsfolk refused to attend the mass, and when the priest came to the plaza to call them, everyone booed him and didn’t let him talk.

In another, some townsfolk threw stones at the temple, breaking some stained glass windows.

In another place, some farmers took up arms against the local noble whose abuse had become unbearable, and when the Church tried to intervene in favor of the noble, the farmers took their anger out on the priest, killing him.

Overall, the climate is one of unrest against the abuse of the older nobility and the Church.

"What could be causing it? Has it happened before?"

We are at a meeting in the palace. The king, the queen, the crown prince Jyillian, Lovelace, my Moms, and I.

The mansion is heavily guarded at all times now, and I stored everything that could be used against us by the Church in my pocket dimension. That’s why we can relax a bit with being away from it.

This is a closed meeting, and my mother and Lovelace are using their powers to block anyone from spying here.

Why am I at a meeting like this when I’m just a fifteen-year-old girl and only third in line to the throne?

Well, it turns out that my grandpa trusts me. He knows some of what I’m able to do, including my recently developed Spatial Magic. And he also trusts my judgment, for some reason.

So that’s why he specifically called for my presence in this meeting.

After uncle Jyllian finishes his briefing of the situation, the room falls silent.

Things are developing faster than I imagined.

"Has something like this happened before?"

"No. Belief in the Church was always strong, and they were always able to quiet down any unrest with ease."

It was Lillian who answered my question, and then Lovelace concludes her thinking.

"It might be that the presence of the goddess was a big factor in swaying the minds of people. And now that she’s absent, the people are starting to think more for themselves."

"So you mean that the goddess was brainwashing everyone, Lovelace?"

"It might be something like a charm spell."

"I’ve never heard of any magic capable of that. But then, I’ve never heard of anything similar to what Aurea has been developing lately."

Hehe. Just wait, grandpa, you’ll see with your own eyes what my gravity aria can do to a whole army.

As I’m smiling like a fool, Lovelace speaks again.

"We don’t know directly of any spell capable of that, but we know in theory that one is possible. Right, Aurea?"

I snap back to the meeting.

"Oh, yeah. Right. The vampires use something like that to make their victims forget about them. That’s the way they have been managing to survive all those millennia while everyone thinks that they are just a legend."

"Exactly. And it wouldn’t be past the goddess to use a power like that."

"Well, a goddess is a goddess, Lovelace. This is a good hypothesis."

"Father, if I’m not mistaken, the first signs of people falling out of line with the Church were back when the goddess was first reported missing, right before Aurea rescued my sister from captivity."

"Uncle Jyllian is right. It struck me a bit as odd that people would so readily rally for Mom like that, against the religion that has been controlling all their lives for so long."

"There is one more point. Except for the case of Marquess Otbert, the main drive of the unrest of the people against the Church has been the invasion of the princess’ mansion."

"WHAT?"

Marchess Otbert is the noble whose farmers have taken up arms against him. He is one of the heads of the Blessed faction.

But the fact that all the others have been triggered by such a reason...

"Yes, that’s the truth. The public display on the trial of the late Duke Addlington has consolidated the position of my dear sister as a Saint for the common people. They see her as a victim of very unfair treatment by the Church ever since that day."

"So, my mother is a Saint that can sway the people’s hearts..."

"Also, that scene when you raised your blouse, dear sister, and revealed the scars. That solidified the narrative about your sainthood. The view of those scars made you a relatable person, someone who shares the common people’s plight."

My mom is just staring at uncle Jyllian in shock, while grandma is trying to hold back some laughter.

"This is developing too fast. We are not ready for the war yet. I still have to go back to the beastkin’s place by the end of the month to get their answer to our offer."

"You’re right, Aurea. And even then, we’ll have to train everyone so we can execute our tactics with precision."

"Too much of our victory in the war depends on some high-level magic that will require a lot of training to use. Otherwise, we’ll be too dependent on me for everything."

"Aurea and Lovelace are right, father. We need to simmer this unrest down while signaling to the people that we are at their side."

"Bringing the culprits to justice should already quell them a bit, sister. But I don’t think that it would be enough to appease the farmers in Marquess Otbert’s land."

I’m really happy to see that my mother’s and my uncle’s relationship wasn’t soured because of the crown inheritance thing.

It’s so good to see them still interacting on good terms, without shades between them.

My granddad then speaks in a tone that we all know. It means that he arrived at a conclusion and is now giving orders.

"Son, you go with a group of knights to talk to those farmers. Hear their reivindications and negotiate with them so they put down their weapons. Guarantee that no harm will befall them and make it clear to the Marquess that we won’t accept any action on his part."

"Right, father."

"I will negotiate with the Pontifex myself. All the culprits of the invasion will be executed, including the High Bishop. We will say in public that he acted on his own, without permission from the Church itself, which had nothing to do with what happened. That’s the compromise I’ll be offering the Pontifex."

"Right."

"Lillian, assemble back your old adventuring party."

"Huh?"

"It doesn’t need to be the same members. It just needs to be you, along with trustworthy and powerful people."

"But why?"

"You’re to go around the country performing ’good actions’ for the townsfolk and farmers everywhere. Kill some monsters, save some kittens, but avoid taking missions that are too dangerous. The most important thing is to be seen and be talked about as a hero."

"Right, father."

"Lovelace, Aurea. I’ll have you two here in the palace so we can secure a place for the undercover training of our new army. Aurea, The first thing I’ll need is a network of portals between our most important cities, using your spatial magic."

"Right, grandpa. I’ll need talented people to teach how to open and close the portals."

"You’ll have them."