Lin leaned forward, her expression shifting to one of focused intensity. The previous lighthearted banter about Yukio's secret romance had faded, replaced by the weight of a more pressing matter. "Could you please elaborate on what you meant, Yuki?" she began, her voice low and serious, her keen eyes fixed on the Archsaint.
"You said the Paladins hunt for relics that could breach the gates and cause chaos internally. Care to elaborate?"
Yukio took a deep breath, her earlier embarrassment completely forgotten. She sat up straighter on her cushion, her gaze meeting Lin's, a flicker of solemnity in her dark eyes.
"Relics are… ancient artifacts, dating back to the Age of Prosperity. They're imbued with immense power, unlike anything we can create now. The official teachings state that most were destroyed during the Dark Ages, or sealed away in forgotten locations all across the world. But they're not. They're still out there."
"Relics," Lin breathed, the word heavy on her tongue, carrying centuries of forgotten echoes. As an elf who had lived for centuries, she was acutely aware of the existence of such artifacts, though even in her long lifetime, they had been incredibly rare, almost mythical.
"Fragments of a bygone era, imbued with primordial power. But if they're so rare, why are the Paladins actively hunting them? It implies a source, or that they're being found more frequently. Why now? What has changed?"
Astra leaned forward, her brow furrowed in thought, her vibrant hair shifting hues in the firelight.
"So, these aren't just powerful magical items, right? They're like… super-ancient, super-powerful batteries for a different kind of magic. Most, not like the Goddess's power."
Yukio nodded slowly, her expression grim. "Precisely. They operate on principles that are alien to our understanding. A Paladin's divine smite, which would normally obliterate anything, might simply fizzle or be absorbed by a relic. They are… incompatible with our divine power. It's like trying to fight a storm with a single candle."
"That explains why the Glory Knights can't just bulldoze the Khaos Nocturni in their operations," Lin mused, connecting the dots with chilling clarity.
"It's not a lack of strength on the Paladins' part, but simply because they have a means to defend themselves. The Four Kings aren't just criminals; they're wielding these ancient artifacts, giving them immunity to the Holy Land's primary form of offense and circulating other relics within the criminal underworld to ensure that their rungs of influence stay active. It's a stalemate."
"We Glory Knights have relics of our own and still have overwhelming numbers and organization. But it still remains that there are still items like these out there, so aside from the shady things they do like slave trade and drug dealing, they're also hunting for these remnants of the past. It's because they have these that we are in somewhat of a stalemate since we can't just plow through them and they can't do anything to usurp us. It's even more difficult because the church is conspicuous and bound by certain rules. We are still a nation after all. But not them. They have the liberty of 3D movement within the shadows." Astra added.
"So, they're playing a long game, trying to prevent the Kings from acquiring more relics while at the same time going to war with them. Light and dark, you could say. It's a race against time, with the fate of our world hanging in the balance, and the public none the wiser."
Lin's gaze became distant, her mind sifting through centuries of fragmented elven lore, memories of hushed conversations among elders, and warnings of forgotten powers. "The Dark Ages," she murmured, almost to herself.
"The war between the Curse Lord Minatori and The Dragon Empress Dona Crimson, both Demon/Chaos Lords. The official narrative, the one taught in your temples, is so… clean. A clear conflict between two warring gods, but Dona Crimson's power… it was said to be absolute. I myself have witnessed it firsthand. She should have ended Minatori swiftly, decisively." She looked up at the ceiling, deep in thought.
"The prolonged nature of that war, and the time it transitioned from an Age of Prosperity, it never quite added up in the ancient texts I've encountered. It always felt like there were missing pieces, parts of history that have been deliberately hidden, or perhaps even removed entirely. Does that mean the Holy Land is suppressing history? They seem to be the only ones who know of and actively look for relics. Hmmm. Okay, maybe not necessarily the Goddess herself," Lin thought as she got off the bed and began pacing the room.
Astra and Yuki watched her walk around with her arms folded.
"But perhaps those who interpret her will? Now that I think about it, the church is more widespread than any other religion in the world, bigger than Ignus the World Tree or even the Deity Of The East. If relics represent a power that challenges the current hierarchy, or if they hold truths about the past that undermine the Holy Land's authority, then it would be in their interest to keep that knowledge hidden while trying to gather them and maintain the status quo. It's about control. Control over information, control over power, power over the people. To maintain the current order, some truths would be buried and some events recontextualized or erased. No, the inconsistencies are too widespread. Even among us elves, what we know or what has been passed down concerning that period of time is… lacking in some areas, so I'm sure among humans and the other races, knowledge about this has been limited as well. But by whom? Those who shaped the new world order after the Dark Ages?"
But then…
Lin stopped walking and dropped back on the bed, a loud sigh escaping her lips. There was so much to think about. She rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine coming. She'd need to discuss this with the others later. But first she needed more information.
"So, these people, they're not just criminals," Lin began, but Astra spoke up.
"They're more like very business-minded entrepreneurs with a chain of companies in various sectors and a particular interest in prospecting and archaeology."
She noticed Lin looking at her with a funny expression and just shrugged.
"Anyway," she continued, "The Paladins are trying to stop them from getting their hands on more of these things while pressing them subtly, because they can't actually fight them directly without risking something catastrophic."
Yukio nodded.
"So, it's a secret war, fought in the shadows, and I'm going to need you to swear not to tell anyone."
Lin looked at Yukio, who stretched out her hand.
"Let's make a Pact."
Lin understood that it wasn't that Yuki didn't trust her to keep a secret, but it was simply that there were other means by which that information could be taken out of her. A pact would prevent that, even if someone entered her mind. Lin wasn't worried though. She had already relayed this information to Sharone via Telepathic Link, meaning that she wasn't revealing anything the other party already knew. Lin felt a bit bad for creating this loophole as it was almost like betraying Yukio's trust. But it was necessary.
They made the pact, and just as the gravity of this conversation was settling, casting a somber pall over the comfortable space, a loud, booming knock rattled the door, followed by a chorus of boisterous laughter that seemed entirely out of place.
"Yuki! You in there, Archsaint?" a husky voice rumbled, loud enough to make the teacups clatter.
The door burst open, or rather, it was pushed open, requiring the figure to bend significantly to fit through the relatively normal-sized frame. It was Vanica, a towering Jotun, her broad shoulders almost filling the doorway. She was clad in surprisingly soft, embroidered sleepwear, a stark contrast to her usual armor, looking like a giant, cheerful teddy bear with bulging muscles. Behind her, a gaggle of other female knights squeezed in, their faces alight with playful mischief: Nico, Nash, Reze, Annabelle, and Kristine.
Yukio's face instantly morphed from pale solemnity to a mask of utter displeasure, the earlier revelation completely overshadowed by exasperation.
"Vanica! What are you doing here? And you're married! What would Elias say?" she wailed, a desperate plea for decorum.
Vanica waved a dismissive hand, a booming laugh echoing through the room, making the very walls tremble.
"Oh, Elias won't die if he doesn'tget some tonight, Yuki." She winked conspiratorially at Lin and Astra, a broad, knowing grin on her face.
The entire room, save for a mortified Yukio, erupted in laughter. Lin, caught completely off guard by the bluntness and the unfamiliar idiom, blinked. "Doesn't get some?" She repeated, genuinely confused, her analytical mind struggling to parse the colloquialism. "Get some of what? More sleep? More food?"
Vanica, evidently delighted by Lin's innocence, leaned in, her voice dropping to a stage whisper that still carried across the room, ensuring everyone heard.
"Oh, sweet Lin. You're still so innocent. 'Getting some' is what happens when two people, a man and a woman, who really, really like each other, go into a private room, and they… well, they express their affection. Very, very physically. It involves a lot of skin, and sometimes, if you're really lucky, nine months later, a little bundle of joy pops out!" She finished with a flourish, making a dramatic 'pop' sound with her mouth and wiggling her fingers, her eyes gleaming with unholy amusement. There was a myriad of reactions.
Reze clapped her hands over her mouth, Annabelle and Kristine dissolved into helpless giggles, Nash used her hands to hide her face.
Yukio, meanwhile, had gone from pale to a shade of crimson that rivaled Reze's hair. She buried her face in her hands, a muffled groan escaping her lips.
"Vanica! That's enough!" Yukio wailed, her voice barely audible over the peals of laughter that now filled the Archsaint's once-serene quarters.
"Oh, I was just about to go into details." Vanica replied.
"Please don't."
"But as a grown woman you need to know this. Since very soon you'll be having se-"
Yukio threw a pillow at her, starting a pillow fight among them. The serious discussion of relics and hidden histories was utterly forgotten, replaced by the raucous, uninhibited joy of a girls' night, a vibrant symphony of friendship and shared secrets, both ancient and hilariously personal. Reze, with a final, triumphant smirk, reached out and clicked the heavy door shut, muffling the sounds of their revelry to the outside world, leaving only the faint, echoing sounds of unbridled giggles.